445 police officers suspended over FETÖ links, reveals minister

ANKARA

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has revealed that 445 active police officers, allegedly affiliated with FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 failed coup, have been suspended pending further investigation.

The revelation came as a result of retrospective studies conducted on digital materials by the General Directorate of Security's organized crime unit, Yerlikaya said on X, formerly Twitter, on Dec. 28.

The minister said an administrative investigation has been initiated against the suspended officers to determine the extent of their involvement with the organization.

FETÖ, led by its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen, orchestrated the coup attempt on July 15, 2016. The foiled coup – which targeted key locations in the capital Ankara, Istanbul, Marmaris and elsewhere – resulted in the loss of over 300 lives and left around 2,200 people injured.

Forces and civilians thwarted the coup attempt, leading to the subsequent designation of FETÖ as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government.

The crackdown on FETÖ affiliates followed post-coup, with mass arrests and detentions numbering in the tens of thousands.

In a separate development, Yerlikaya yesterday announced another operation against the illicit trade of smuggled and counterfeit alcoholic beverages. A total of 220 individuals were prosecuted across all provinces in a simultaneous operation, resulting in the confiscation of 187 tons of smuggled and counterfeit alcohol, and ethyl alcohol. The operation prevented a potential tax loss of 35 million Turkish Liras ($1.18 million), the minister wrote on X.