14 December 2018•Update: 14 December 2018
ISTANBUL
Turkish prosecutors in Istanbul ordered Friday the detention of nearly 220 soldiers for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind July 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.
The arrest warrants were issued for 219 soldiers in active service as part of an ongoing investigation into the presence of FETO in the Turkish Army.
The soldiers, including four colonels, are being investigated on suspicions of contacting with the terror group via pay-phone.
Prosecutors also ordered searches and seizures for the suspects.
Police are seeking the suspects to arrest.
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 Muhammed Enes Can:Writing by Ahmet Salih Alacaci
