Detention warrants issued for 27 naval forces soldiers in Turkey

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish prosecutors on Aug. 2 issued detention warrants for 27 soldiers suspected of being members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ). 

According to a statement of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, detention warrants were issued for soldiers at the Turkish Naval Forces Command — five of them serving and 22 dismissed — over links to FETÖ’s so-called “imams.”

The soldiers — including captains, lieutenants and sergeants — are accused of communicating with FETÖ members with pre-paid phone cards and pay phones.

Police operations were underway to nab suspects across eight provinces in Turkey, the statement added.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fethullah Gülen are widely believed to have 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.