Five suspected members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were captured near the border between Turkey and Greece yesterday. The suspects were in a car heading to the border area in the northwestern province of Edirne when gendarme troops stopped them.

All of the suspects were released pending trial in separate trials in the capital, Ankara, and in the northern city of Ordu on charges of membership of a terrorist organization. Their trials are still ongoing. Two suspects were handed over to counterterrorism police in Ankara, while three others were remanded into custody in Edirne.

The number of FETÖ suspects trying to flee to Greece continues to increase after the recent spate of decisions by the Greek judiciary favoring those who participated in the July 15, 2016 coup attempt blamed on the military infiltrators of the terrorist group.

Greek courts released eight soldiers involved in the coup attempt to the great chagrin of Ankara, which has repeatedly requested their extraditions. Led by U.S.-based imam Fetullah Gülen, FETÖ sought to topple the Turkish government and seize power on July 15, 2016 through a military coup and to impose martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. In total, 251 people, mostly civilians, were killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 2,000 people were injured.