131 arrested in ops against FETÖ’s ‘military wing’
AUTHORITIES issued arrest warrants for 218 suspects in two separate operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) yesterday. The suspects are accused of infiltrating the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). The terrorist group had carried out a failed putsch attempt on July 15, 2016, through its military infiltrators. A total of 131 suspects have been captured in nationwide operations so far, while a manhunt was underway to apprehend the others.
In one operation based in the western province of İzmir, where FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen rose to prominence as a preacher decades ago, prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 185 suspects and 113 among them were arrested. The operation was a culmination of a joint investigation by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office, the TSK and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). Among the wanted and captured suspects were three colonels, two lieutenant-colonels and officers of lower ranks, including 69 officers still on active duty.
Other suspects include military cadets who were expelled from the army on suspected links to FETÖ. Operations were carried out in İzmir and 40 other provinces to capture the suspects.
According to media reports, there is evidence against the suspects, which includes their contact with their civilian “handlers” for FETÖ through payphones, a commonly employed method of the terrorist group to avoid detection, testimonies of former FETÖ members and involvement in an infiltration scheme into military schools.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in İzmir, where the terrorist group’s infiltrators colluded and dispatched a group of military officers to attempt to assassinate President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the 2016 coup attempt from a military base there, had launched a string of investigations in 2019 based on payphone contacts of FETÖ handlers and military infiltrators. Since then, authorities issued detention warrants for 3,450 suspects, with 1,525 being arrested, while 500 others had collaborated with authorities to identify more military infiltrators.
In the capital Ankara, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for 33 suspects accused of infiltration into the Gendarmerie General Command for FETÖ. The suspects were 18 noncommissioned officers who were implicated in earlier investigations and expelled from the army, in addition to 15 former military cadets. A total of 18 suspects have been captured in the operations so far.
Operations are underway to capture the remaining suspects in Ankara and 25 other provinces.