Defunct Prime Ministry staff nabbed for FETÖ-ties
ANKARA/KÜTAHYA/TOKAT-Anadolu Agency
Turkish police detained18 staff of now-defunct Prime Minister's Office over suspected links to the FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said on Dec. 18.
The suspects were detained in the capital Ankara with the simultaneous raids of the anti-terror police.
They were among 27 former employees of the office who were accused of operating for the terror group, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
All the suspects were dismissed from their positions following the 2016 defeated coup.
Police continue the hunt for the remaining suspects.
Meanwhile, Turkish security forces detained 26 suspects on Dec. 18 over links to the FETÖ.
The detentions came after prosecutors in the western Kütahya province issued detention warrants for their alleged links to FETÖ's infiltration into the armed forces, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Out of 20, twelve suspects have been detained so far. Police continue the hunt for the remaining suspects.
Separately, the prosecutors in the northern Tokat province issued detention warrants for 15 suspects across 12 provinces over the charges of infiltrating into police.
The suspects were all dismissed by decree.
The provincial gendarmerie forces arrested 14 suspects, and the hunt for the remaining suspect continues.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of 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.
