Afghan arrested for alleged FETO terror ties

An Afghan suspect was arrested on Saturday in Turkey for alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.

Ahmed Fahim Omar, accused of using the terror group's encrypted cellphone app ByLock and recruiting university students, was arrested in Bornova in the Aegean Izmir province, said a police source.

The arrests came after Izmir prosecutors issued warrants for the suspects, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The ByLock app was allegedly used by FETO members during the 2016 defeated coup.

Omer reportedly came to Turkey in 2007 to study agriculture at Ege University and graduated in 2014.

He reportedly encountered the terror group while at university, and stayed at a FETO dorm. Later he opened a restaurant.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.