Detention warrants issued for more than 100 air force officers over FETÖ links
ANKARA - Anadolu Agency
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on May 17 issued detention warrants for 101 Turkish military personnel, including one brigadier and several colonels, over suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).
As part of a probe into FETÖ’s Air Force Command structure, the suspects are being sought over suspected contacts with “covert imams,” a term used to refer to other suspected senior members within the network, said judicial sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Seventy-eight of the suspects had previously been suspended from duty, while 23 others were dismissed over suspected links to FETÖ.
In Ankara-based nationwide operations launched across 22 provinces, 37 suspects have been detained so far. The operations are still ongoing.
Earlier this week, police detained on May 15 at least 19 personnel from the Turkish Naval Forces in seven provinces over suspected links to FETÖ.
The arrests on May 15 came after the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued warrants for 34 suspects, 31 of them serving officers with the Naval Forces including colonels and lieutenant colonels.
The network and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gülen are widely believed to have been behind the July 2016 coup attempt, which left 250 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.
