Twenty-eight people across Turkey were arrested yesterday as part of the investigation into the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), according to public prosecutor and police statements. One operation in the central city of Sivas targeted 12 workers in state institutions and organizations, all suspected for their use of the ByLock messaging app, linked to the July 15 coup attempt.

ByLock is an encrypted communication application used as an internal form of communication among FETÖ members. Turkish authorities learned of the controversial app as the result of testimony given by Gülenists within the bureaucracy who were detained after the July 15 putsch attempt when they testified to the prevalence of ByLock use among FETÖ members. According to Sivas police headquarters, nine suspects, including a departmental manager, were arrested yesterday, with police on the lookout for the remaining three. Nine judges and a prosecutor were also arrested in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa, said the local chief public prosecutor's office. The arrested suspects were taken to police headquarters after a health check.

Separately, one FETÖ member, arrested in November with nine other suspects, was remanded in custody Wednesday. Five of the suspects arrested in the same operation have been released by the Izmir Prosecutor's Office, joining three released earlier. In a separate operation, nine former Orhan Gazi University academics and staffers were arrested for FETÖ links yesterday.