Turkey issues arrest warrants for 74 alleged FETÖ-tied soldiers

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 74 active-duty soldiers across the country over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt, security sources said on Friday.

Istanbul prosecutors issued the warrants for the suspects -- 72 of them noncommissioned officers -- as they reportedly used pay phones to communicate with FETÖ members, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Police raids have been conducted simultaneously in 30 provinces to apprehend the suspects, the sources added.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.