ISTANBUL/ANKARA

Turkish forces arrested at least 40 people for their suspected links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, security sources said on Tuesday.

The suspects were found to be in touch with their terror affiliates via fixed-line and pay phones.

Istanbul-based anti-terror operations were launched simultaneously in 12 provinces, and so far 34 suspects have been rounded up. Efforts to capture six other suspects are ongoing.

The anti-terror police squad arrested six suspects in operations launched in the capital Ankara. The search for four others is ongoing.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the July 15, 2016 defeated coup, 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.

*Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev