Turkey: 138 FETO terror suspects to appear before court

ISTANBUL

Some 138 suspects across Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will appear before court over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, Turkish judicial sources said Tuesday.

Prosecutors in Istanbul issued warrants for 223 on-duty soldiers from land, air, navy, gendarmerie and coast guard forces, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

While police teams have detained 168 suspects, the court has released 30 of them, the source said, adding that the remaining 138 suspects will appear before the court on charges of "being a member of armed terrorist organization".

Security forces continue to search for 55 fugitive suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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 Jeyhun Aliyev