ANKARA 

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara on Friday issued arrest warrants for 40 suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) as part of a probe into a police exam, a judicial source said.

The warrants were issued as part of an investigation into a 2011 exam for applicant police officers to become chiefs, according to the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

The suspects, alleged FETO terrorist group members, are suspected of having obtained and distributed test questions beforehand.

During operations conducted across 27 provinces, 21 suspects were arrested, the source said.

Simultaneous operations to search for the other suspects are in progress.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 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.

Reporting by Cemil Murat Budak & Serdar Acil:Writing by Burcu Arik