ANTALYA, Turkey

At least 41 suspects have been arrested in southern Turkey in the past week over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in the country.

Local security officials in the Mediterranean province Antalya said the suspects were arrested amid operations conducted in the city center and surrounding districts.

Among the suspects were two fugitives for whom arrest warrants had been issued for alleged "membership in a terrorist organization."

One of the suspects was remanded in custody, while two others were released by the court and seven were transferred to other provinces where they were under investigation.

Procedures at the police department are ongoing for the other 31 suspects.

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 Dilan Pamuk in Ankara