Arrest warrants issued for 56 FETÖ suspects in Ankara

An Ankara prosecutor issued Monday arrest warrants for 56 suspects linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

As part of an Ankara-based investigation into the terror group’s secret network within the Turkish Air Forces, arrest warrants have been issued for 20 civilian suspects in five provinces, according to a statement by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Separately, the office also issued arrest warrants for 36 suspects in nine provinces, including 16 ByLock users -- an encrypted mobile phone application used by FETÖ members to communicate during and after the defeated 2016 coup.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also 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.