Two FETO suspects arrested in northwestern Turkey

By Sibel Ugurlu

ANKARA

Two people were arrested in the northwestern province of Turkey on Friday for their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup, according to a security official.

In northwestern Edirne province, two FETO suspects were held after they tried to escape by taxi.

Gendarmerie forces followed the taxi and finally arrested both suspects in the Eskikoy village of the province.

The suspects, accused of using FETO’s encyrypted smart phone messaging app ByLock and being members of FETO, were trying to illegally cross the Turkey-Greece border.

The taxi driver was also arrested with the suspects.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on 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.