ISTANBUL / ANKARA 

An operation was launched across Turkey to arrest 60 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) suspects and fight the group’s infiltration of the Turkish military, a security source said on Tuesday.

Prosecutors in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul are seeking the arrest of the suspects, including 38 former military cadets and 12 so-called “covert imams” (senior FETO members), said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The operation was launched following the detection of intra-organizational communication via pay phones or fixed lines as well as organizational links through confessions,

The Istanbul-based operation was launched in 19 provinces, the source added.

Separately, five suspects trying to escape to Greece were caught in Ipsala in Turkey’s northwestern Edirne province, which borders Greece, the National Defense Ministry said on Twitter.

Two FETO suspects were among the arrested, the ministry said, adding that the fight against FETO at the borders continues without letup.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and 2,734 injured.

Turkey 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.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara