Police detain 115 over alleged Gülen links

TEKİRDAĞ

At least 115 people were detained on July 16 in northwestern Turkey as part of a probe into the information technology network of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Detention warrants for 127 suspects including businessmen, housewives and police officers were issued by the Tekirdağ Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to a police source.

The suspects are accused of using the ByLock messaging application, which is said to have been used by FETÖ members during last year’s coup attempt.

Operations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects.

The app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the coup, prompting the plotters to switch to the WhatsApp messaging service but not before tens of thousands of FETO suspects were identified.

According to the Turkish government, the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and its U.S.-based Fethullah Gülen orchestrated the coup attempt.

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.