74 Feto-Linked Suspects Arrested Across Turkey

At least 74 suspects on Tuesday were arrested across Turkey by security forces for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to security sources.



Security forces rounded up 28 suspects in an Adana-based operation carried out across four provinces, said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.



The suspects are accused of communicating with "covert imams" of the terror group.



Two other FETO suspects were arrested by police in an operation launched in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, another source said.



Meanwhile, a total of 12 suspects, including soldiers on active duty have been arrested in an operation into FETO in the Aegean province of Izmir.



Additionally, three suspects were arrested in an operation in central Eskisehir province on terror charges.



In the central province of Konya, 12 suspects were arrested for using ByLock, an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETO members in an operation carried out by anti-terror police teams.



Separately, seven suspects were held in a Samsun-based simultaneous operation carried out across three provinces for allegedly using ByLock.



Another seven people were arrested in the eastern Adiyaman province. They were accused of using FETO's encrypted smartphone messaging app ByLock.



In an eastern Malatya-based operation carried out in three provinces, five suspects, including an attorney were arrested for using ByLock.



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.



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. -