Dozens detained in FETÖ operations across Turkey

KONYA

Prosecutors in the capital Ankara and the Central Anatolian province of Konya ordered the detention of dozens of suspects in operations against FETÖ, the perpetrator of the failed 2016 coup.

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered detention warrants for 14 suspects over their links to the terrorist organization.

According to the statement from the office, an investigation was launched against 14 people, including nine on duty, who were connected to the confidential structure in the Naval Forces Command.

Within the scope of the investigation, detention warrants were issued for one lieutenant colonel, one lieutenant, seven petty officers and four former military personnel, as well as an “imam.”

The suspects were identified through their contacts with fellow FETÖ members via public payphones, a method commonly employed by the group that seeks to avoid detection.

In Konya, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office ordered the detention of 18 suspects, four of them on duty and seven former military personnel, accused of having links to FETÖ.

Meanwhile, five people accused of being linked to the FETÖ were detained near the Turkish border with Greece while trying to flee to the European country, according to a statement released by the country’s defense minister.

FETÖ orchestrated the 2016 defeated coup that left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 others injured. The group was also behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkey’s military, police and judiciary.