Police detains 184 over terror group links

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkish police detained 171 suspects on Dec. 16 over links to the FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said.

The detentions on charges of using ByLock, the terror group's encrypted smartphone messaging app, came after prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued detentions warrants for 260 suspects, including seven suspects currently abroad, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Police continue the hunt for the remaining suspects.

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

13 ISIL suspects detained for terror links

Meanwhile, at least 13 people, allegedly linked to the ISIL terror group, were detained in an anti-terror operation in Turkey, security sources said.

Prosecutors in the southeastern Mardin province issued detentions warrants for 17 suspects as part of a probe into financial resources of the terror group, said a source.

Simultaneous raids were carried out in 10 provinces and so far 13 suspects were detained.

Police continue the hunt for the remaining suspects at large.