Turkish authorities detain 24 FETÖ suspects

Arrest warrants have been issued in Ankara for 79 suspects over their alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind last year’s defeated coup, according to a police source.

Among the 78 former and one active employees of the Ministry of Finance, 24 suspects were arrested early Thursday during simultaneous operations in 26 provinces, the source said. The arrests followed a probe by Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Almost all of the suspects are accused of using FETÖ’s encrypted smartphone messaging app ByLock, handing information about their institution to FETÖ and having accounts at Bank Asya, a lender affiliated with FETÖ which recently declared bankruptcy.

According to Turkish authorities, ByLock was a means of communication among members of FETÖ, which orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that left 250 people martyred and some 2,200 others injured.

The operations are ongoing, and the arrested suspects will be brought to capital Ankara, the source added.

Ankara 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.