08 January 2018•Update: 09 January 2018
By Fahrettin Gok, Cemil
AGRI, Turkey
At least 25 suspects were arrested in counterterrorism operations across Turkey for their alleged links to FETO, the terrorist group behind 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey, police sources said Monday.
Twenty-two soldiers on active service, including commissioned and non-commission military officers, were detained in multiple cities including Istanbul, Ankara, and Kahramanmaras as part of an investigation carried out by the chief public prosecutor in the eastern Agri province, the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Separately, an arrest warrant was issued for three academics in southeastern Gaziantep province as part of a probe.
According to the Turkish government, the Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader 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.
* Adsız Günebakan from Gaziantep contributed to story.
