Yusuf Soykan Bal and Safak Yel
01 October 2020•Update: 01 October 2020
IZMIR, Turkey
At least 23 people were arrested in western Turkey for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a security source said on Thursday.
The arrests came after the prosecutor’s office in the Aegean Izmir province issued warrants for 28 suspects as part of several terror investigations, said the source who asked not to be identified due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
During the raids, police also seized some money and digital materials.
Police continue the hunt for the remaining five suspects, it added.
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were 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.
