Meric Urer
June 23, 2020•Update: June 23, 2020
IZMIR
A total of 12 suspects affiliated with FETO, the terror group behind the 2016 deadly coup attempt, were arrested in Turkey following simultaneous operations held in various provinces on Tuesday.
Izmir prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 15 suspects who had infiltrated into the armed forces, then provincial gendarmerie forces launched operations in eight provinces. So far, 12 of them have been arrested.
The suspects were said to have systematically abused armed forces members not linked to the terror group and practiced continuous mobbing and pressure in a bid to force them out of the army.
FETO and its US-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.
* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas
