Turkey remands 100 military officers in FETO probe

By Halil Demir and Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul court remanded in custody 100 pro-coup soldiers late Friday in a probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) while seven were released under judicial control.

The police arrested 351 suspects on Dec.17 across 58 Turkish provinces as part of the investigation after Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 575 military officers on charges of using the ByLock messaging app that is said to be linked to the July 15 coup attempt.

Friday's hearing was the second trial of the case. In the first hearing Thursday, 61 out of 351 suspects were remanded in custody while four were released under effective remorse law on condition of judicial control.

After Friday's court decision, the total number of detainees rose to 161, as 11 suspects have been released under effective remorse law.

179 suspects are still waiting their hearings while Turkish police searching for 224 suspects.

The ByLock smartphone app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies months before the coup, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of suspected FETO supporters.

According to Turkey’s government, FETO leader Fetullah Gulen masterminded the July 15 defeated coup, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkish government has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

In the wake of the coup attempt, tens of thousands FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, justice system and education sector.