Detention warrants issued for 25 soldiers over FETÖ links

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

An Ankara prosecutor on Sept. 4 issued detention warrants for some 25 officers with the Gendarmerie General Command, according to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The soldiers - all serving lieutenants - are suspected of communicating with “covert imams” of FETÖ, the group behind the July 2016 defeated coup.

The suspects were sought by police in 16 provinces across Turkey.

So far, 23 of the suspects have been detained in the Ankara-based operations.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen are believed to have orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead 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.

Last week, on Aug. 29, a total of 17 gendarmerie officers were also detained in the capital Ankara for their alleged links to FETÖ.