Turkey: 13 fugitive FETO suspects arrested in Ankara

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (A) – Turkish police on Tuesday arrested 13 fugitives, including two dismissed army majors, for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to police sources.

After counter-terrorism teams in the Turkish capital Ankara learned that FETO was carrying out its restructuring activities through the fugitive members of the organization, they ascertained that some fugitive FETO members were hiding in the cell houses of the terrorist group.

Among the suspects arrested during simultaneous dawn operations were three teachers as well, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkish police seized over $7,000, Є2,225 and some gold coins at those houses.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara 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.