Turkey: 12 FETO-linked terror suspects arrested

By Volkan Kasik

MALATYA, Turkey (AA) - Turkish police on Tuesday arrested 12 suspects for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said.

The suspects were accused of being members of FETO’s army structure and using pay phones, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The police rounded up the suspects in simultaneous operations launched in Malatya, Ankara, Istanbul, Balikesir, Eskisehir, Isparta, Nigde, Kars and Sirnak provinces.

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.

Turkey 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.