November 16, 2017•Update: November 16, 2017
By Sertac Bulur and Orhan Onur Gemici
ANKARA
At least 107 suspects, including 55 former soldiers, were arrested across Turkey on Thursday over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup, according to a security source.
Police conducted several simultaneous raids across Turkey arresting a number of FETO suspects who had apparently used the encrypted smart phone messaging application, ByLock.
The app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies, allowing them to identify tens of thousands of FETO supporters within the context of last year's defeated coup attempt.
FETO and its U.S.-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.
In a probe into FETO’s educational structuring, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 48 suspects, 15 of whom were later arrested.
Seven out of 15 suspects were arrested in a joint operation carried out in the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa.
In another joint operation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in seven provinces, 27 out of 39 suspects were arrested for providing financial support to FETO.
In a probe conducted by the southeastern Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 55 ex-soldiers were arrested during simultaneous operations in 26 provinces.
Three other suspects were also arrested in the northern Amasya province.
