Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 23 soldiers over FETO

By Adsiz Gunebakan

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AA) - Arrest warrants were issued for 23 soldiers on active-duty across Turkey over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, security sources said Tuesday.

Gaziantep prosecutors issued arrest warrants for the suspects who were found to have communicated with "covert imams" -- senior FETO members -- using pay phones, said the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to media.

So far, 10 suspects have been arrested in police operations across 15 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.