Turkish police arrest 15 over FETO ties

KONYA, Turkey

Turkish police arrested 15 suspects over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said on Thursday.

The arrests came after prosecutors in the central Konya province issued warrants for 25 suspects including 23 on-duty soldiers for communicating via pay phone with senior FETO members.

Simultaneous operations were carried out across 12 provinces, including Konya, by anti-terror police teams.

Police is on the lookout for 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 Jeyhun Aliyev