Turkish police arrest 22 FETÖ-linked terror suspects

Police in Turkey arrested 22 suspects as part of a probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization’s (FETÖ) infiltration of the Turkish Armed Forces, a security source said on Tuesday, Eurasia Diary reports citing Yeni Safak.

Simultaneous operations were conducted in 24 provinces after prosecutors in Istanbul province issued arrest warrants for 47 suspects that included active-duty, retired, dismissed, resigned, suspended officers, former military students and civilians, said the source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

This came following the detection of intra-organizational communication via pay phones or fixed lines, as well as confessional statements.

Efforts to catch the remaining suspects are ongoing.

FETÖ and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.