Turkish police arrest dozens over alleged FETO links

Police on Tuesday arrested dozens of suspects, including serving military personnel, police officers and healthcare staff, for their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), security sources said.

The operations were conducted in 19 provinces early Tuesday in search of 37 military personnel and one police officer, a security official, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency.

The raids were part of an ongoing investigation by Sivas Public Prosecutor's office against suspected FETO members in the Turkish Armed Forces. One colonel, one police officer and 30 soldiers were detained during the operation.

Ankara 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.

At least 15 of 34 suspects were detained in six different provinces as part of the probe launched by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Security official said that the search continued to apprehend remaining suspects.

In another operation led by Golbasi Public Prosecutor's Office in Ankara, four police officers in the aviation department of the Security General Directorate were detained.

Elsewhere, at least 17 healthcare staffers were arrested in central Aksaray and southern Hatay provinces on Tuesday.

Aksaray Public Prosecutor's office, which has been conducting the investigation, said doctors, nurses and health technicians were amongst the suspects.

Moreover, 11 FETO suspects, who allegedly used encrypted ByLock app, were detained in a separate operation on Tuesday as part of investigation conducted by Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in central Konya province.

The ByLock smartphone app was allegedly used by FETO members for internal communication during Turkey's defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which martyred 250 people and injured over 2,000 others.

Meanwhile in southwestern province of Isparta, four lawyers were arrested as part of the probe led by Isparta Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.