ANKARA

Six suspects have been arrested in Turkey's capital Ankara for suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, judicial sources said Friday. 

The six are part of a group of 18 wanted by Ankara prosecutors for allegedly having financial ties to the terror group, as well as for using ByLock, its encrypted messaging app, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Operations to arrest the remaining 12 suspects are ongoing.

FETO and its U.S.-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 Busra Nur Bilgic