Turkey arrests 31 FETO suspects in Izmir

By Haydar Toprakci

IZMIR (AA) - At least 31 people suspected of having links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were arrested in Turkey, sources said early Wednesday.

Security forces in the Aegean province of Izmir nabbed the suspects inside of the security and the gendarmerie's private structure in simultaneous operations.

"Covert imams," regional student officers, an expelled police chief, expelled commissioner and a retired soldier were among those arrested.

Digital material and fake identities were seized during the operation.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Turkey, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 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.