January 03, 2018•Update: January 04, 2018
By Ahmet Akbiyik
KONYA, Turkey
Turkish police arrested at least 25 people on Wednesday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to security officials.
In the central province of Konya, 14 expelled teachers were arrested in an operation carried out by anti-terror police, said the official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
One other suspect was arrested in the southern province of Kahramanmaras as part of a probe into the terrorist organization.
The suspect was accused of using the encrypted smartphone app ByLock, which was used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated coup.
In the central province of Eskisehir, officers of the anti-smuggling and organized crime units arrested a businessman for suspected FETO links. The police also found an unlicensed rifle at his house.
According to another security official, a total of nine FETO suspects were arrested in operations conducted in Bartin, Istanbul, Kocaeli, Antalya and Manisa provinces.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.
