28 arrested in FETO probe across Turkey

SIVAS, IZMIR, SANLIURFA, BURSA, Turkey

Turkish police arrested 28 people across Turkey on Wednesday as part of an anti-Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) probe, according to public prosecutor and police statements.

One operation in the central city of Sivas targeted 12 workers in state institutions and organizations, all suspected for their use of the ByLock messaging app, linked to the July 15 coup attempt.

ByLock is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies months before the coup, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of suspected FETO supporters.

According to Sivas police headquarters, nine suspects, including a departmental manager, were arrested Wednesday, with police on the lookout for the remaining three.

Nine judges and a prosecutor were also arrested in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa, said the local chief public prosecutor's office.

The arrested suspects were taken to police headquarters after a health check.

Separately, one FETO member arrested in November with nine other suspects was remanded in custody Wednesday.

Five of the suspects arrested in the same operation have been released by the Izmir Prosecutor’s Office, joining three released earlier.

In a separate operation, nine former Orhan Gazi University academics and staffers were arrested for FETO links Wednesday.

Orhan Gazi University, in Turkey’s Marmara region, was shut down under a FETO probe after the July 15 coup attempt.

According to Turkey’s government, FETO leader Fetullah Gulen masterminded the July 15 defeated coup, which left 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

In the wake of the coup attempt, tens of thousands FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judiciary, and education sector.

Reporting by Halife Yalcinkaya; Writing by Didar Yüsra Dilruba Öz