KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested five fugitives from the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in southeastern Kahramanmaras province.

Counterterror teams nabbed a teacher who was dismissed from the profession and a former lieutenant, identified as N. P and K. A. T, respectively, in simultaneous operations concerning membership in the FETO/PDY terror group, according to a statement by the provincial security directorate.

N. P. had a finalized prison sentence of six years and three months and was transferred to prison. K. A. T. was released on conditions of trial without arrest.

Separately, a former deputy inspector and two shopkeepers, identified as Z. K, A. O. S. and N. Y, respectively, were arrested in simultaneous operations in Elbistan. They were apprehended for membership in the FETO/PYD terror organization.

The three convicts, each with finalized prison sentences of three years and nine months, were transferred to prison after routine procedures.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 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 Dilan Pamuk in Ankara