Warrants issued for 40 FETO suspects

By Baris Kilic

ANKARA

Arrest warrants were issued on Tuesday for 40 suspected members of the terrorist group behind last year’s defeated coup attempt in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

As part of an investigation into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), Ankara prosecutors issued warrants for 40 FETO suspects, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The suspects are believed to have used the ByLock mobile app, said to have been used by FETO members for last year’s coup attempt, the source said.

All of the suspects were former or (in one case) current Interior Ministry employees, the source added.

The ByLock smartphone app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of apparent FETO supporters.

According to the Turkish government, 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 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.

Reporting by Baris Kilic; Writing by Cansu Dikme