BALIKESIR, Turkey

Some 25 suspects were arrested across Turkey on Thursday over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

The suspects, who also included three police officers and five teachers, were held after arrest warrants were issued accusing them of staying at FETO-affiliated dormitories in northwestern Turkey, as well as for being members of the terror group.

Provincial security forces held simultaneous operations in Turkey's provinces of Balikesir, Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Kutahya, Antalya, Agri and Sirnak.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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 by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara