Turkey: Warrants issued for 25 FETO-linked suspects

By Baris Kilic and Cankut Tastan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish prosecutors issued two separate arrest warrants for 25 suspects across the country over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, judiciary sources said on Wednesday.

Eight of the suspects were former police officers believed to have illegally obtained police promotion exam questions in 2009 amid alleged forgery of official documents, aggravated fraud and membership of an armed terrorist organization.

At least five were arrested, while authorities continue to seek the remaining suspects.

In a separate investigation into FETO's infiltration of public bodies, arrest warrants were issued for 17 public servants, including two retired, 12 dismissed and three in active service accused of using ByLock, FETO's encrypted smartphone messaging app.

Thirteen of the suspects related to this investigation were remanded into custody.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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.

* Written by Ahmet Gencturk from Ankara