Turkey: 86 FETO-linked suspects arrested

By Hamdi Celikbas, Sertac Bulur 

ANKARA 

A total of 86 people have been arrested out of 151 suspects sought by warrant for being alleged members of FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

Prosecutor in the capital Ankara ordered the warrants for 43 of the suspects, including 30 dismissed and active soldiers and 13 alleged "covert imams" of the terror group at the Turkish Naval Forces Command, according to a judicial source. 

Separately, Ankara prosecutors also issued arrest warrants for six active-duty soldiers at the Gendarmerie General Command Forces, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media. 

More arrest warrants were also issued in the northwestern Bursa province for 102 suspects, including active-duty soldiers, dismissed military school students, and former police officers.  

Operations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.