Turkey issues arrest warrants for 50 FETO suspects

ISTANBUL

Arrest warrants were issued Friday for 50 people for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind July 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for the suspects who allegedly used ByLock, an encrypted cellphone application used by coup-plotters.

Teachers and lawyers were among the suspects sought with warrants.

So far, twenty-seven suspects were arrested in simultaneous counter-terror operations across nine provinces.

Turkish police continue operations to nab the others suspects.

According to the Turkish government, the 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.

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.

Reporting by Muhammed Enes Can:Writing by Diyar Guldogan