Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday 38 suspects were detained in nationwide operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
“There will be no respite for treacherous FETÖ. With the support and prayers of our revered nation, we will eliminate terrorist groups and their collaborators,” Yerlikaya said in a social media post about the operations.
Operations codenamed “Clamp-3” was the latest blow for FETÖ, which Yerlikaya described as a group of “traitors who tried to deal a blow to our national will.” FETÖ’s military infiltrators were behind a 2016 coup attempt that ultimately failed due to strong public resistance under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The counterterrorism department of the Turkish National Police coordinated operations in 12 provinces, from Konya and Istanbul, to the capital Ankara, Kütahya and Kahramanmaraş. One of the operations targeted suspects in FETÖ’s secret military network. Seven suspects were captured in that operation. Another operation was against a branch of FETÖ trying to revive the group after the coup attempt. Some 17 suspects were caught in that operation. Six other suspects were apprehended in an operation against so-called “student” cells of FETÖ while six more were nabbed in connection with FETÖ propaganda on social media websites. Another two suspects were captured in operations in Düzce, Istanbul and Denizli. Along with the suspects, authorities confiscated digital evidence and a large amount of money.
