18 April 2018•Update: 18 April 2018
ANKARA
Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday issued arrest warrants for 35 people over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.
The 10 of the wanted suspects are allegedly FETO's "covert imams" in Turkish Naval Forces Command, according to a statement issued by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara.
Police have so far arrested nine suspects during the simultaneous raids across the city, the statement said, adding the operations are continuing to nab the remaining suspect.
Meanwhile, Ankara prosecutors also issued arrest warrants for 25 more people, including 16 colonels and nine lieutenant colonels, as part of its probe into FETO-linked soldiers in Air Forces Commands.
Later, the police arrested 18 suspects in eight different provinces, including the capital, the office said in another statement.
The suspects, including dismissed and suspended soldiers, are accused of using the ByLock smart phone app which was used by FETO members during the defeated coup.
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (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 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 Zafer Fatih Beyaz:Writing by Burcu Arik
