Turkey: Ex-army officer arrested over FETO links

By Hamdi Celikbas

ANKARA (AA) - The counter-terrorism police arrested an ex-soldier in Turkey on Thursday over his links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

Former Lt. Gen. Metin Iyidil was arrested in the capital Ankara after a local court issued an arrest warrant over the prosecutors’ demand.

Earlier, Iyidil, former commander of the Land Forces Training and Doctrine Command (EDOK), had been slapped with aggravated life sentence over the charge of trying to overthrow Turkey’s constitutional order through violence as part of the coup attempt perpetrated by FETO.

However, he was later acquitted and set free after a local court revoked the previous court order upon Iyidil’s appeal.

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 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.

*Writing by Havva Kara Aydin