Turkish police arrest 34 FETO-linked terror suspects

By Omer Sut

IZMIR, Turkey (AA) - Turkish police on Thursday arrested 34 suspects for their alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), security sources said.

The arrests came after the Chief Public Prosecutors' Office in western Izmir issued arrest warrants for 53 people as part of a probe into the terror group and its suspected infiltration of the country’s military, the sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

Police launched a nationwide operation in order to apprehend the suspects, including on duty soldiers, who have been accused of being linked to the terrorist group.

The suspects are sought across 24 provinces of Turkey.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 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.