Turkey: Warrants out for 29 FETO suspects

By Orhan Onur Gemici and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 29 suspects nationwide over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 29 former judiciary members prior to operations in 21 provinces.

The arrests were made as part of investigations on irregularities during judicial exams in 2013 in favor of FETO members, said one of the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup in Turkey on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara 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.

*Writng by Zehra Nur Duz