ISTANBUL

A total of 32 suspects allegedly linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, have been arrested, security sources said on Friday.

Istanbul prosecutors had issued arrest warrants for 41 people in 23 provinces nationwide, including 33 active-duty police officers, over their alleged FETO links, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Operations are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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 Gozde Bayar