Turkey: 39 FETO suspects arrested in capital Ankara

By Cemil Murat Budak and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish police officers issued arrest warrants for 53 suspects on Friday and arrested 39 of them for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's office in Turkey’s capital city Ankara issued warrants for 53 suspects who are accused of using the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, ByLock.

One of the suspects was identified as Ali Emre Oksuz, the cousin of Adil Oksuz -- a theology professor, alleged to be the "imam" of FETO members in the air force and a key link between U.S.-based FETO leader Fetullah Gulen and coup plotters in Turkey -- said a source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police officers arrested 39 suspects and the operations continue to arrest the remaining ones.

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

* Writing by Havva Kara Aydin