By Halil Demir and Omer Ural
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish police arrested at least 17 people on Thursday over alleged links with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind 2016 defeated coup, according to security sources.
An Istanbul-based operation which netted 16 arrests took place across 16 provinces, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Under the investigation, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrants for nine alleged leaders of the terror group and 17 FETO-linked lawyers.
Separately, police arrested another FETO suspect in the northwestern province of Tekirdag.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and, judiciary.