Arrest warrant out for Turkish daily owner over FETO
Owner of Sozcu daily, three other employees accused of committing crimes on behalf of Fetullah Terrorist Organization
ISTANBUL/IZMIR
A criminal court in Istanbul issued Friday arrest warrants for four staff members of Sozcu daily, including its owner, over alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a judicial source said.
The newspaper's website manager, Mediha Olgun, was arrested by the police following the warrant which was issued at the request of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office as part of a probe into the terrorist group's media links, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Owner Burak Akbay could not be arrested as he is currently abroad, the source said, adding the suspects are accused of committing crimes on behalf of FETO even though they are not group members.
The newspaper's correspondent in western Izmir city, Gokmen Ulu was arrested later on Friday and his home was searched by the police.
There is no information on whether the remaining one suspect, who has not been identified, has been arrested.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen are accused of orchestrating the defeated July 2016 coup in Turkey, which left 249 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara has said FETO is also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, and has also accused it of infiltrating other countries through educational institutions, among others.
