15 January 2019•Update: 15 January 2019
By Savas Guler, Durmus Genc, Ibrahim Aktas and Baris Kilic
ANKARA/KONYA/MUGLA/KOCAELI, Turkey
Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 137 suspects across Turkey for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 50 FETO-suspects as part of an ongoing probe into the group's infiltration into the Turkish army, said a police source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The arrest warrants for the Gendarmerie General Command personnel -- all on-duty soldiers -- were issued for allegedly having contact to the "covert imams" of FETO by payphone, the source added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Konya also issued 50 arrest warrants for FETO-suspects, including 32 on-duty soldiers.
Security forces launched simultaneous operations in 31 provinces to nab the suspects.
Separately, the Chief Public Procecutor's Office in Kocaeli issued warrants for 22 military personnel including 17 on-duty soldiers suspected to have links to the FETO.
Police carried out simultaneous raids in 13 provinces to arrest the suspects.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Mugla also issued warrants for 15 FETO-suspects -- including 14 on-duty soldiers.
Simultaneous operations were launched in seven provinces to nab the suspects.
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.
