FETO terror-linked murder suspect arrested in Ukraine

ANKARA

Ukraine has arrested a suspected murderer and fugitive linked to FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 coup in Turkey, Turkish security sources said on Monday.

Sought by a Turkish warrant and Interpol Red Notice since this May, Nuri Gokhan B. was first arrested this July in Ukraine for possible extradition, but won the right to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Now in custody again, the suspect is expected to be extradited to Turkey following a decision by Ukrainian authorities, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Ankara University's Necip Hablemitoglu, known for his research and books on the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) branding it a criminal organization, was killed in 2002, but the murder was never solved.

In 2015, prosecutors in Turkey’s capital Ankara launched an investigation into FETO's involvement in unsolved murders committed between 2000 and 2013.

The murders include Behcet Oktay (2009), the head of Ankara police's special operations department; candidate for judgeship Didem Yaylali (2013); and the killing of a member of Turkey’s Council of State (2006).

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.

* Writing and contribution by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur