13 Turkish military staff arrested in FETÖ probe

Thirteen suspects were arrested early Thursday in an ongoing probe regarding the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) presence in Turkish military, police said.

A warrant had been issued by the Izmir Public Prosecutor's Office for the arrest of 62 military personnel, including civilians and army officers, on such charges of "espionage" and "being members of a terrorist organization".

In an Izmir-based operation in western Turkey, 13 of the 62 were arrested across 13 provinces including Istanbul, Eskisehir, and Mardin, police sources said speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media. The ranks were not specified.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO orchestrated Turkey's July 15 coup plot as well as he was behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 246 martyred, and around 2,200 others wounded.

Since then, operations have been going on in the military, police and judiciary, as well as in the state institutions across the country to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.