By Yusuf Sahbaz
IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Turkish security forces on Tuesday arrested nine suspects, including serving soldiers, for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 coup attempt, a security source said.
Earlier, the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Aegean province of Izmir issued arrest warrants for 18 people, it said in a statement.
The warrants, including those for 12 serving officers, were issued as part of a probe into the terror group’s secret structure within the Turkish Armed Forces.
The security forces launched Izmir-based simultaneous raids in nine provinces on early Tuesday and arrested nine of the suspects.
The search for the remaining suspects is ongoing across the country.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 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.
*Writing by Burak Bir