Arrest warrants issued for 68 FETÖ suspects across Turkey

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

Arrest warrants were issued for 68 suspects over links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind Turkey’s defeated coup attempt in 2016, according to a security source.

The simultaneous operations in 28 provinces follow the issuing of arrest warrants by Istanbul prosecutors on March 16, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The suspects, including lawyers, are accused of staying in FETÖ houses to study for judicial exams, the source added.

A total of 30 suspects have been arrested in the operation and raids on the addresses are still ongoing, the source said.

Police are targeting suspects in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, Adana, Afyon, Antalya, Aydın, Burdur, Bursa, Çanakkale, Çankırı, Edirne, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Trabzon, Kırıkkale, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Karaman, Kırklareli, Konya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Sakarya, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Elazığ and Batman. 

FETÖ and its United States-based leader Fethullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.