Turkey: Fugitive FETO member remanded in custody

ISTANBUL

A fugitive member of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, was remanded into custody, security sources said on Tuesday.

Mehmet Demircan and his wife were arrested on Wednesday in Istanbul when police and intelligence service raided the residence they stayed in the Uskudar district, said sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to media.

A Turkish court remanded the senior FETO operative, while his wife was released under judicial control and she was ordered a house arrest.

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.

Turkey 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 Gozde Bayar