UPDATE - Turkey launches fresh operation against FETO suspects

ADDS NUMBER OF ARRESTED

By Zafer Fatih Beyaz and Cankut Tasdan

ANKARA (AA) - An operation was launched Thursday across 11 provinces including capital Ankara to arrest over 130 officials suspected of being linked to the group behind last year’s defeated coup.

The operation came as part of an ongoing investigation by Ankara prosecutors into Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) infiltration of state institutions.

The suspects include 101 personnel of the Finance Ministry and 32 from the Labor and Social Security Ministry.

Among them, 129 had already been dismissed from duty for suspected links to the terrorist group.

So far, 57 suspects have been arrested during the operations, according to a statement from Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office later on Thursday.

The suspects were reportedly using ByLock, a smartphone app used by FETO members before and during the defeated coup attempt of July 2016.

ByLock is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of suspected FETO supporters.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the attempted coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

FETO is also accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.