IZMIR, Turkey

Turkish police on Thursday arrested 19 suspects for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said. 

The 19 were among 27 warrants issued by prosecutors in the Aegean Izmir province for being customers of Bank Asya, a FETO-linked bank, and membership in FETO-linked groups and unions, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The arrests were made in Izmir and Manisa, another Aegean province, and operations continue to arrest the remaining suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 251 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.