UPDATE - 30 FETO-linked suspects arrested in Turkey

UPDATES WITH ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED FOR 51 SUSPECTS IN ANKARA

By Halil Demir and Zafer Fatih Beyaz

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (AA) - Thirty suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were arrested Wednesday in Istanbul, according to a security source.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul has issued arrest warrants for 59 suspects as part of an investigation into the FETO terror network, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects are accused of using the encrypted smartphone application ByLock, which, according to Turkish authorities, was used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated coup attempt last year.

The source added operations to apprehend the remaining suspects were ongoing.

Meanwhile, Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has issued arrest warrants for 51 former employees of FETO-linked schools that were shut down in accordance with a statutory decree, according to a security source.

Thirty-six of the suspects are accused of using ByLock, the source said, adding an operation was launched to arrest the suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 250 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.