07 September 2018•Update: 07 September 2018
By Zafer Fatih Beyaz
ANKARA
An investigation into the U.S. Embassy drive-by shooting in Turkish capital revealed the alleged links of the two suspects to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to judicial sources on Friday.
On Saturday, a capital Ankara court remanded three suspects -- Osman Gundas, Ersin Bayram and Ahmet Celikten -- into custody over the incident, out of total six arrested.
As part of the investigation, led by Public Prosecutor Murat Ozcan, the suspects Gundas and Bayram were found to have communicated with FETO via cellphones.
The inspection by anti-terror branch of Ankara’s Security Directorate found that Gundas shared videos of Fetullah Gulen, the ringleader of the terror group behind the July 15, 2016 defeated coup.
It also found out that Bayram downloaded smartphone applications linked to the terrorist organization.
According to the Ankara Governor's Office, Celikten and Gundas confessed to their involvement in the attack.
The city surveillance cameras spotted that Celikten and Gundas scouted the embassy building area 20 minutes before the attack on Aug. 20.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.
