Soldiers in TRNC accused of Fetö coup plot arrested
SOLDIERS based in the TRNC were among 56 members of the Turkish Armed Forces detained on Tuesday on suspicion of being members of Fetö, the terrorist group accused of being behind the 2016 failed coup in Turkey.
They were arrested in 22 provinces in Turkey and in North Cyprus as part of an investigation carried out by the Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s office, according to the Anadolu news agency (AA). Fifty of them were on- duty military personnel including non-commissioned officers, an unnamed source told AA.
The source said arrest warrants had been issued following a review of records from ByLock — an encrypted mobile messaging app said to have been used by Fetö members. The latest wave of arrests comes after the TRNC’s Attorney-General’s Office said in November that three “highranking” police officers in North Cyprus should be suspended from their duties over alleged links to Fetö.
Around 200 police officers were first questioned back in April last year, three months after nine senior Turkish army officers were arrested and sent back to Turkey as part of the Fetö probe.
Turkish Cypriot Deputy Attorney-General Ergül Kızılokgil said in September that as many as 300 civilians living in North Cyprus were also suspected of having links to Fetö after a number of civilians appeared in court on terror-related charges.