UPDATE - Turkey: Arrest warrants issued for 37 FETO suspects

UPDATES WITH ARRESTS

By Savas Guler and Seyit Ahmet Eksik

KONYA/TRABZON, Turkey (AA) - Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for 37 suspects over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, said security sources.

Authorities in the central Konya province issued arrest warrants for the suspects, some of whom are active-duty soldiers in the Turkish Armed Forces.

The suspects were accused of allegedly serving as FETO's "covert imams", senior members of the terror group, said the source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police launched simultaneous operations across 24 provinces. So far, 23 suspects have been arrested.

Meanwhile, in Trabzon, northeastern Turkey, the anti-terror police arrested eight people over their alleged links to FETO, said security sources.

The investigations by local prosecutors found that 11 suspects, including two covert imams, communicated through pay phones.

After simultaneous operations across seven provinces, including Trabzon, Istanbul, Izmir, and Sanliurfa, the suspects – among them were two teachers and security personnel – were taken into custody.

Police are searching for three suspects still missing.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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 Erdogan Cagatay Zontur and Firdevs Bulut