21 suspects detained over terror ties

21 suspects detained over terror ties

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency
21 suspects detained over terror ties

Turkish police on Nov.1 detained 10 alleged members of FETO, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, as part of an investigation into terror group's infiltrating the command of the naval forces.

The arrests came after prosecutors in Ankara, the Turkish capital, issued arrest warrants for 12 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) suspects for using ByLock, the terror group's encrypted smartphone messaging app, and for having communication through payphone with other members of the organization, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Among the suspects were retired, dismissed, suspended, and on active-duty soldiers.

The arrests were made in various provinces including Ankara, and operations continue to arrest the remaining two other suspects.

Meanwhile, some 11 suspects, including high-level targets, were detained on Nov. 1 in central Turkey over links to the ISIL terror group, according to a security source.

As part of efforts against ISIL, security teams conducted simultaneous operations at various addresses in the Çankırı province, said the source.

An individual accused of being an aide to the terror group's late ringleader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -- killed in a U.S. operation last weekend -- was among the suspects.