Turkey: Arrest warrants out for 43 FETO-linked suspects

By Hamdi Celikbas, Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday for 43 people suspected of being members of FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

Prosecutor in the capital Ankara ordered the warrants for the suspects, including 30 dismissed and active soldiers and 13 alleged "covert imams" of the terror group at the Turkish Naval Forces Command, according to a judicial source.

Police launched simultaneous operations across Turkey to nab the suspects, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (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.