Turkey: Police arrest 21 FETO suspects

By Filiz Kinik and Ergun Haktaniyan

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 21 suspects have been arrested in counter-terror operations across Turkey over alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, police sources said Friday.

According to a police source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, 13 alleged members of FETO-linked 'Kimse Yok Mu' Relief Foundation were detained across Istanbul.

An Istanbul prosecutor's office earlier issued arrest warrants for 21 members of the foundation which was shut down in Turkey for its support for FETO following the coup attempt.

Security forces are on the lookout for the remaining suspects, the source added.

In another operation in central province of Kayseri, eight people were arrested during simultaneous raids for allegedly funding FETO.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 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.