Turkey issues arrest warrants for 112 FETO suspects

KAYSERI / ANKARA / KONYA, Turkey

Arrest warrants have been issued for at least 112 people across Turkey for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated 2016 coup.

Prosecutors in the central province of Kayseri issued warrants for 68 suspects including 17 on-duty soldiers in seven provinces for allegedly having links to the terror group’s military structure, said judicial sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

At least eight people were arrested in simultaneous operations held in the capital Ankara as well as the provinces of Kayseri, Adana, Eskisehir, Izmir, Mugla, and Mardin.

Ankara prosecutors also issued arrest warrants for 10 people, all alleged users of the group’s encrypted messaging app ByLock, said judicial sources on Tuesday.

Police arrested at least seven out of 10 people sought, including civil servants, said the sources.

Separately, prosecutors in the central province of Konya issued arrest warrants for 34 active-duty soldiers in 24 provinces as part of a probe into FETO.

A hunt for the suspects is underway.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of 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.

Reporting by Tevfik Isil, Savas Guler and Zafer Fatih Beyaz:Writing by Nilay Kar