Turkey: Arrest Warrants Out For 28 FETO Terror Suspects

Turkish prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 28 people over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), judicial sources said.

Prosecutors in Aegean Izmir province issued warrants for 14 suspects, including a dismissed second degree police chief, who were found to have communicated with the group's "covert imams" -- senior FETO members -- said one of the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for another 14 suspects, who were found to have used terror group's encrypted smartphone messaging app ByLock, another source said.

Nine suspects have been arrested, while an operation is underway to catch the remaining 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 Erdogan Cagatay Zontur -