Turkey: Arrest warrants issued for air force staff

By Metin Bolat

KONYA, Turkey

Warrants were issued early Tuesday for 60 Turkish air force staff, including pilots, in an anti-terror investigation, a security source said.

Twenty-five of the suspects were later detained by Konya’s Organized Crime Department teams, in operations that took place in 19 provinces, the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

The suspects are allegedly linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in an investigation launched by the Konya chief public prosecutor.

An operation to arrest the other suspects is underway, the sources added.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot in Turkey as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.