Police detains nearly 60 FETÖ-linked terror suspects

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkish security forces on Jan. 21 detained 59 suspects over ties to FETÖ, the group behind the defeated 2016 coup attempt.

Prosecutors in the southern provinces of Adana and Antalya, the western province of Balıkesir and the capital Ankara issued warrants for 68 people, including some serving officials.

Adana-based anti-terror operations were launched simultaneously in five provinces, and 22 suspects were detained.

Additionally, in Balıkesir-based operations, carried out in eight provinces -- including Istanbul and Ankara -- 10 suspects were detained.

Also, 20 suspects were detained in an anti-terror operation in Antalya. Some10 of the detained suspects were released after their statements.

Meanwhile, Ankara-based anti-terror operations were launched simultaneously against alleged FETÖ members who had infiltrated National Education Ministry branches in seven provinces -- Ankara, Istanbul, İzmir, Kırşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, and Kahramanmaraş -- resulting in the detention of seven of 16 suspects

The detained suspects were active ministry staff and all were using ByLock -- an encrypted smartphone application used by FETÖ members for communication.

The detention warrants were issued after suspects were found to have communicated with members of the terror group.

Similarly, on Jan. 20 the police detained four over suspected links to the FETÖ in the Aegean province of İzmir.

Turkish police detained two suspected senior FETÖ members in anti-terror raid in two locations in İzmir, according to security sources.

The detentions came after prosecutors in the western İzmir province issued warrants for the suspects accused of being "covert imams" -- senior FETÖ members leading terror group members who infiltrated the armed forces -- said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Separately, police in the northwestern Edirne province detained two suspected members of FETÖ and one member of the YPG/PKK terror group as they attempted to cross to Greece.

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.