UPDATES WITH INCREASE IN NUMBER OF SUSPECTS ARRESTED
By Sertac Bulur
ANKARA (AA) - A total of 32 former staff of the Finance Ministry were arrested in early morning police raids in Turkey’s capital Ankara, for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), an official said.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 82 former employees, who had been previously dismissed, said the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
They are suspected of allegedly depositing money in Bank Asya -- a lender affiliated with FETO, which has recently declared bankruptcy -- in an effort to rescue the bank.
The suspects were also reportedly using the encrypted ByLock smartphone messaging application, which has been linked to FETO.
According to Turkish authorities, ByLock was a means of communication among members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that left 250 people martyred and some 2,200 others injured.
Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
Separately, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the central Konya province issued arrest warrants for 134 FETO-linked suspects, another official said.
The suspects are accused of getting FETO members employed in the Turkish Armed Forces.