Turkish police filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against prominent Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) members, security officials said yesterday.

The Security General Directorate - the country's police force - sought TL 34 million ($8.7 million) in damages over bombings on police property on the night of the last year's defeated coup attempt. It is the first time that the police filed a lawsuit with such high compensation.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, FETÖ orchestrated the July 15 coup plot - which left 249 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured. It also carried out a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and the judiciary.

In the 197-page petition filed to the Ankara 15th Criminal Court of First Instance, 661 suspects including Fetullah Gülen, Adil Öksüz, and Kemal Batmaz are accused of being jointly and severally liable for the damage.

Öksüz, a fugitive FETÖ member, is said to be among the masterminds of the defeated coup. Another key coup plotter Batmaz was arrested at the base on the morning of July 16.

The petition said buildings, data processing centers, license plate recognition systems, surveillance cameras and 186 vehicles were severely damaged in the coup attempt.

It added that the security forces had never suffered from such material damage in the country's history.

Law enforcement was among the key institutions infiltrated by FETÖ members for decades and hundreds of police officers were dismissed from their posts, detained or arrested both before and after the coup attempt for their links to the terrorist group. It was also the members of the Security General Directorate who were instrumental in quelling the coup despite multiple casualties they suffered in the process.

Tens of thousands were detained or arrested after the coup attempt, and coup trials are underway across Turkey. Few civilian FETÖ members have appeared before the courts, as many managed to flee abroad before and after the coup attempt. Authorities launch almost daily operations to capture the group's members and pursue international efforts to bring fugitive suspects to justice, including Gülen.

DAILY SABAH WITH AA