19 active soldiers arrested over suspected FETÖ links

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

A total of 19 suspects were arrested in counterterrorism operations across Turkey for their alleged links to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), the terrorist group behind 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey, police sources said Sept. 22.

An arrest warrant had been issued for some 20 soldiers by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara.

The soldiers -- all serving lieutenants -- are suspected of communicating with "covert imams" of FETÖ.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen 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.