Turkish authorities have detained eight suspects as part of an investigation into what prosecutors described as the “current financial structure” of the Gülenist terror group (FETÖ), the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the suspects were detained following a joint operation by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the Ankara Police Department’s counterterrorism units. The investigation also covers FETO’s alleged clandestine network within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), known as the group’s secretive military ("mahrem") structure.
Authorities said the suspects were identified through technical and physical surveillance and the examination of digital materials.
Two of the eight detainees had previously been dismissed from public service, while all were found to have continued alleged organizational activities despite earlier prosecutions for membership in the group, prosecutors said.
During searches of homes and locations allegedly used for organizational activities, security forces seized financial assets and digital equipment, including promissory notes valued at TL 2.5 million ($57,298.45), as well as cash in Turkish lira, U.S. dollars and euros, gold bars, and coins, authorities said.
Police also seized mobile phones, laptops, storage devices, SIM cards and other electronic materials.
One of the suspects has been formally arrested by a criminal court of peace, while judicial procedures for the remaining seven were continuing, the prosecutor’s office said.
Separately, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said nationwide operations against FETÖ had intensified in recent weeks. In a post on the social media platform NSosyal, Yerlikaya said gendarmerie units conducted operations in 29 provinces over the past two weeks, detaining 63 suspects.
According to Yerlikaya, those detained were accused of maintaining contact with senior members of the terrorist group through pay phones, providing financial support to groups linked to FETÖ, spreading propaganda on social media and attempting to flee abroad.
Of the 63 suspects, 41 have been arrested and four placed under judicial supervision, while legal proceedings for the others are ongoing, he said.
“Traps set against the national will are being dismantled one by one,” Yerlikaya said, praising security personnel involved in the operations.
Meanwhile, police in the northwestern province of Çanakkale arrested a fugitive convicted in a FETÖ-related case. The suspect, who had been sentenced to 14 years and two months in prison, was taken into custody during routine security checks and transferred to a high-security prison, authorities said.
FETÖ has been facing increased scrutiny following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others. Tens of thousands of people were detained, arrested or dismissed from public sector jobs following the attempt under a state of emergency.
Last year, more than 1,600 FETÖ suspects were arrested, while 1,524 other suspects were released under judicial control, according to figures from the Interior Ministry as of December 2025.
