Turkey issues arrest warrants for 120 FETÖ suspects, 34 arrested

KONYA

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in central Konya province issued arrest warrants on Feb. 1 for 120 people over suspected links to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), state-run Anadolu Agency has reported, citing a security source. 

The warrants came as part of a Konya-based investigation that spread to 43 other provinces against “secret imams” of the organization inside the military, who were identified by the testimonies of former detainees, the agency reported.

Later on, 34 of the suspects were arrested, the agency reported, citing a security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Simultaneous operations to hunt other suspects are in progress.

ByLock, an encrypted smartphone application, was used for communication by the Gülenists before and during the 2016 coup attempt.

The FETÖ, under the leadership of the U.S.-based Fethullah Gülen, is widely believed to have been behind the 2016 coup attempt that left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded.

Since the coup attempt, more than 50,000 people, including civil servants and security personnel, have been jailed pending trial and some 150,000 were suspended or dismissed from their jobs.

The Turkish government says the dismissals and arrests are necessary to fight against security threats Turkey has been experiencing since the attempted takeover.