08 December 2016•Update: 08 December 2016
ANKARA
Thirty-five out of 136 people wanted by Turkish police in connection with school dormitories linked to a terror network were arrested in the capital, Ankara, on Thursday.
Thursday’s arrests are part of an operation against Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO)-linked dormitories, security sources said.
The police operation also included three premises in the Turkish capital: the Iffet girls’ dormitory and Ihtiyat and Temkin boys’ dormitories.
A provincial security source who spoke on condition of anonymity said suspects were also wanted in 20 provinces across the country.
The Ankara chief public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 136 suspects -- including 45 women -- who are managers and staff of FETO-linked premises. Managers of companies affiliated to these dormitories are also being investigated.
One suspect was found to be in the U.S. and 70 others had been using a smartphone messaging app linked to Turkey’s July 15 coup plot.
Among the companies under investigation are Baskent Education, Publication and Trade Inc.; Basak Group Education Inc.; Eksen Inc. and Sena Inc.
Turkey was rocked by a Nov. 29 tragedy in its southern Adana province when the bodies of least 12 people -- mostly schoolchildren -- were recovered in the aftermath of a fire which broke out in a private girls' dormitory in the Aladag district.
Some 24 people, including eight adults, were either affected by smoke or hurt while trying to escape the burning building.
Ankara has said FETO, which is led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, orchestrated the foiled July 15 coup in Turkey, which left 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Gulen is also accused 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 Serdar Acil and Zafer Fatih Beyaz; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu
