Turkey: Police arrest 9 for suspected FETO links

By Mustafa Gungor

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) – A total of nine people were arrested in Turkey on Wednesday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind a defeated 2016 coup attempt in the country.

Prosecutors in the Aegean province of Izmir issued arrest warrants for 14 suspects on charges of using the terror group’s encrypted smartphone messaging app, ByLock, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

Police arrested nine suspects as operations continue to arrest other suspects, the statement said.

The simultaneous operations spanned three provinces -- Izmir, Aydin, and Konya.

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 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 Gozde Bayar