Arrest warrants out for 200 soldiers over FETÖ links

ISTANBUL/IZMIR- Anadolu Agency

Turkish prosecutors on July 9 issued arrest warrants for over 200 suspected soldiers in Istanbul and in western Izmir province for their alleged links to the FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup.    

According to the Chief Public Prosecutor's office in Istanbul, the arrest warrants were issued for 176 active serving soldiers including colonels, lieutenants, majors, and captains in Istanbul, 20 active serving and five former soldiers as well as 10 civilian suspects in Izmir.     

The suspects are sought as part of a probe into FETÖ's clandestine network in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), according to sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The suspects in Izmir are accused of communicating with FETÖ's "covert imams- senior FETO operatives- via pay phones.

The 10 civilian suspects in Izmir are accused of using FETÖ's encrypted messaging application ByLock.

Police have rounded up eight of the suspects so far in simultaneous operations in 20 provinces across Turkey.    

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.