74 on-duty soldiers arrested in FETÖ probe

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

At least 74 on-duty soldiers have been arrested across Turkey as part of a probe into FETÖ, the group believed to have been behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, judicial sources said on Nov. 9.

The arrests came after the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 103 on-duty soldiers including colonels, lieutenant colonels and commanders, according to sources who asked not to be named, due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police squads conducted simultaneous operations in 32 provinces including Istanbul to arrest the suspects, who are accused of communicating with other suspected FETÖ members over payphones and land-line telephones.

The search for others is underway.

According to the Turkish government, FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.