Turkish courts have issued arrest warrants for 44 on-duty soldiers for their suspected links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, security sources confirmed yesterday.

Prosecutors in southeastern Gaziantep province issued arrest warrants for 23 suspects, who were found to have communicated with "covert imams" – senior FETÖ members – using payphones, said one of the sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

So far, 10 of the suspects have been arrested by police in 15 provinces.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in the northwestern province of Çanakkale issued arrest warrants for 21 soldiers, who were allegedly serving as FETÖ's covert imams, said another source.

So far, nine suspects have been arrested by the police in 11 provinces and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Operations were underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.

Fugitive FETÖ member remanded in custody

Mehmet Demircan, a fugitive member of FETÖ, has been remanded into custody after Demircan and his wife were arrested in Istanbul last Wednesday.

Police and intelligence service units raided their residence in the city's Üsküdar district, said sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A Turkish court remanded the senior FETÖ operative in custody, while his wife was released under judicial control and placed under house arrest. FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which killed 251 and injured nearly 2,200.