Turkish prosecutors yesterday issued arrest warrants for 27 former and on-duty civil servants at the country's ministries for their links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is blamed for the 2016 coup attempt.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 23 former and four on-duty public employees for using ByLock, an encrypted smartphone messaging app used by FETÖ members.

Among the suspects were 15 personnel of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, five personnel of the Energy Ministry and eight personnel from other public institutions. Police have rounded up 11 of the suspects so far in simultaneous operations in seven provinces across Turkey. They will be taken to the Ankara police headquarters.