Arrest warrants out for ex-intel staff in FETO probe

ANKARA

Arrest warrants were issued in Ankara for over 60 suspects on Tuesday including former intelligence staff members as part of ongoing investigations into the Terrorist Organization ().

According to a judicial source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, the police raided addresses in 21 provinces to nab a total of 63 suspects including 45 former employees of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT).

Nine suspects have been detained so far during the operations, the source said.

A total of 87 people were dismissed from MIT last year over alleged links to FETO.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader 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.

Since the defeated coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police, and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.

Reporting by Mumin by Burcu Arik