Turkish forces catch 8 suspected terrorists trying to cross illegally to Greece

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish security forces caught eight suspects affiliated with two different terrorist groups as they tried to illegally cross the border to Greece, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

A ministry statement said that one of the suspects was affiliated with the far-left terror group DHKP-C and seven with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

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.

The DHKP-C is responsible for a number of terror attacks in Turkey, including a 2013 attack on the US Embassy in Ankara which killed a Turkish security guard.

The group is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU.