By Halil Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish police arrested at least 17 people early Saturday over suspected links with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to security sources.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
The Istanbul-based operation was conducted across nine provinces, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
The arrests came after the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 36 FETO suspects, including academics, journalists and former police officers.
The suspects were wanted by the police for using ByLock — an encrypted mobile phone application used by FETO members to communicate during and after the defeated July 16, 2016 coup, the source added.
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.
