A criminal court in Istanbul issued Friday arrest warrants for four staff members of Sözcü daily, including its owner, over alleged links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a judicial source said.
The newspaper's website manager, Mediha Olgun, was arrested by the police following the warrant which was issued at the request of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office as part of a probe into the terrorist group's media links, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.
Owner Burak Akbay could not be arrested as he is currently abroad, the source said, adding the suspects are accused of committing crimes on behalf of FETO even though they are not group members.
The digital manager Melda Olgun, financial affairs manager Yonca Kaleli and reporter Gökmen Ulu were on the list of those to be detained
Gökmen Ulu was charged with the news that he published the day of the coup attempt on July 15 that said "Sözcü has found Erdogan." Ulu was charged with "'facilitating the actual attack on the president."
Ulu's article revealed strategic information and coordinates about the region where President Erdoğan was staying in Marmaris on the night of the coup attempt. The article was published just before the July 15 coup attempt.
FETÖ terrorists are led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gülen, who orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup attempt and is the mastermind behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary as well as in state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETÖ.
