Twenty suspects with links to Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) were arrested on Tuesday in a string of nationwide operations.
Eight of them were arrested in the central Konya province as part of an investigation into the group’s infiltration of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Eleven more suspects, including prison guards, were arrested in the southern Gaziantep province as part of a probe into FETÖ. A former police officer, identified only by the initials S.K., was arrested by security forces in the northwestern Edirne province while attempting to cross into Greece. He was remanded in custody.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 21 people, including three lawyers, with suspected ties to the terrorist group. Simultaneous operations were launched in various districts of Ankara to arrest the suspects.
FETÖ and its United States-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people killed and 2,734 injured. The terrorist group is accused of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.