Authorities on Tuesday issued arrest warrants against 218 suspects in two separate operations against the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ). The suspects are accused of infiltrating the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The terrorist group had carried out a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, through its military infiltrators. So far, 131 suspects have been captured in nationwide operations, while a manhunt was underway to apprehend the others.
In an operation based in the western province of Izmir, where FETÖ chief Fetullah Gülen rose to prominence as a preacher decades ago, prosecutors issued arrest warrants against 185 suspects and 113 of them were arrested. The operation was the culmination of a joint investigation by the attorney general’s office, TSK and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT). Among the suspects wanted and captured were three colonels, two lieutenant-colonels and lower-ranking officers, including 69 officers still on active duty. Other suspects include military cadets who were kicked out of the military over alleged links to FETÖ. Operations were carried out in Izmir and 40 other provinces to capture the suspects.
According to the media, there is evidence against the suspects, which includes their contact with their civilian “managers” for FETÖ via payphones, a method commonly used by the terrorist group to avoid detection, testimonies from former members of FETÖ and involvement in an infiltration scheme. in military schools.
The Izmir Attorney General’s Office, where the terrorist group’s infiltrators colluded and sent a group of military officers to attempt to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2016 coup attempt military base there, had launched a series of investigations in 2019 on the basis of a public telephone. contacts of FETÖ managers and military infiltrators. Since then, authorities have issued arrest warrants for 3,450 suspects, of whom 1,525 have been arrested, while 500 others have worked with authorities to identify more military infiltrators.
In the capital Ankara, the attorney general’s office has issued arrest warrants against 33 suspects accused of infiltration in the general command of the gendarmerie for the FETÖ. The suspects were 18 non-commissioned officers involved in previous investigations and expelled from the military, in addition to 15 former cadets. A total of 18 suspects have been captured in operations so far.
Operations are underway to capture the remaining suspects in Ankara and 25 other provinces.
