Over 55 arrest warrants out for FETO-linked suspects

By Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL

Turkish prosecutors on Friday issued arrest warrants for 58 people for their alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), security sources said.

The Chief Public Prosecutors' Office in Istanbul issued arrest warrants for 38 people as part of a probe into the terror group and its suspected infiltration of the judiciary system, according to a security source.

Police launched a nationwide operation in order to apprehend the suspects, including 13 lawyers, who are accused of being linked to the illegal network behind Turkey's defeated coup attempt in 2016, the source said on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media.

Meanwhile, Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 20 former employees of state-run broadcaster TRT on the same charges.

The suspects are sought across five provinces of Ankara, Adana, Adiyaman, Hatay Istanbul, according to same security sources.

The Terrorist Organization and its U.S.-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup July 15, 2016, which left 250 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.