Turkish police arrest 22 FETO-linked terror suspects

By Basak Akbulut Yazar

ISTANBUL (AA) - Police in Turkey arrested 22 suspects as part of a probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization’s (FETO) infiltration of the Turkish Armed Forces, a security source said on Tuesday.

Simultaneous operations were conducted in 24 provinces after prosecutors in Istanbul province issued arrest warrants for 47 suspects that included active-duty, retired, dismissed, resigned, suspended officers, former military students and civilians, said the source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

This came following the detection of intra-organizational communication via pay phones or fixed lines, as well as confessional statements.

Efforts to catch the remaining suspects are ongoing.

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 injured.

Ankara also 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.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz