Turkey: 171 FETO terror group-linked suspects arrested

By Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police arrested 171 suspects on Monday over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said.

The arrests on charges of using ByLock, the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, came after prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 260 suspects, including seven suspects currently abroad, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police continue the hunt for the remaining suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.