13 suspects arrested in Balıkesir for FETO links

At least 13 suspects were arrested in Turkey for alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup, a security source said on Friday.

Prosecutors in northwestern Balıkesir province issued arrest warrants for nine active police officers, a sergeant, a retired teacher, a veterinarian, and a health technician, said the source, requesting anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

They were all arrested in operations by anti-terror police teams in six different provinces, the source added.

A gun and multiple digital materials were also seized during the operations.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Turkey 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.