EDIRNE, Turkey 

Local Turkish authorities in the northwestern Edirne province issued arrest warrants for 20 over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup.

The arrest warrants were issued as part of a probe into the terror group’s covered organization. Among the accused are soldiers, lawyers, and police officers who were expelled from their posts.

Anti-terror police seek the suspects in Ankara, Kahramanmaras, Tekirdag, Isparta, Afyon, Sivas, Kirklareli, and Malatya provinces as well as Edirne.

FETO and its US-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.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara