41 ex-air force officers arrested in FETÖ probe

Forty-one former Turkish Air Force personnel were arrested early Friday in the capital Ankara in a probe into FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, according to police sources.

The 41 were part of a group of 87 former air force sergeants wanted by Ankara prosecutors for their links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Separately, Istanbul prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 41 active-duty soldiers -- including a major, two captains, five first lieutenants, and two lieutenants -- at the Istanbul gendarmerie for their alleged FETÖ links.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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