By Zekeriya Karadavut and Fetih Gokmen

KIRIKKALE, Turkey

A Turkish prosecutor on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 31 suspects over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to a security source.

Turkish security forces carried out simultaneous operations in 17 provinces as well as in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kirikkale, in central Anatolia, issued arrest warrants, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The suspects, including 27 soldiers, two former soldiers, and two suspended army school students, are accused of having links to a secret military structure of FETO.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara 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.