Turkish court remands 29 FETO terror suspects

ISTANBUL

A Turkish court on Friday remanded in custody 29 people, including active-duty soldiers, over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to a judicial source.

The move came after 83 suspects were arrested in two separate operations carried out by police and gendarmerie forces, out of warrants for 97 suspects issued by Istanbul prosecutors, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The 29 suspects were remanded for being members of an armed terrorist group, while 29 other suspects were released under judicial control.

A total of 51 suspects were released.

Two other suspects were not arrested due to having contracted the novel coronavirus. Three of the suspects are still under arrest.

The police continue the hunt for the remaining 12 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 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 Erdogan Cagatay Zontur