Turkish footballer arrested in Istanbul for FETO links

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Footballer Bekir Irtegun was arrested in Istanbul on Friday as part of a probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to a police source.

Irtegun played for popular Turkish clubs -- Gaziantepspor, Fenerbahce and Basaksehir -- in the recent past.

His passport was also seized just two weeks before he was due to go abroad.

Irtegun was released from his former club Medipol Basaksehir on July 10, despite having another year in his contract.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and some 2,200 injured.

Turkey accuses FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.