Arrest warrants out for 140 FETÖ suspects

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 140 people with suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a judicial source said Tuesday.

Arrest warrants were issued for the suspects as part of a probe into the terror group's clandestine network in the Turkish Armed Forces, a statement by the prosecutors in the capital Ankara said.

Among the suspects, who were found to have communicated with FETÖ's "covert imams" -- a senior FETÖ member -- via pay phones, were 41 on active-duty soldiers in the Land, Air and Naval Forces, the statement added.

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.

Turkey 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.