Turkey: 224 soldiers arrested over suspected FETO links

By Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 224 on-duty soldiers were arrested across Turkey for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in the country, judicial sources said on Sunday.

The arrests came after Turkish prosecutors issued warrants for 295 soldiers, who are accused of communicating with FETO members through pay phones and landline phones, as part of a probe into FETO’s structure in the Turkish Armed Forces.

Turkish police continued operations to arrest remaining 71 suspects, according to the sources.

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 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.