Dozens of soldiers, police officers detained over FETÖ ties
ANKARA
Turkish authorities on May 23 detained a total of 65 military and police personnel over alleged links to the FETÖ terrorist organization, the group behind the failed coup attempt in 2016.
Undiscovered FETÖ operatives within the Turkish military now appear to surpass those who took an active role in the 2016 coup attempt, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a written statement.
On July 15, 2016, FETÖ members embedded within the military and other key state institutions launched a coup attempt against the government, while the bid failed but claimed the lives of more than 200 people.
In its aftermath, thousands of individuals across the military, police and various ministries were dismissed over ties to the group.
In an effort to target what authorities describe as the “remnants” of the organization, coordinated operations were launched at 6 a.m. on May 23 across 35 of the country’s 81 provinces, targeting suspects from the air force, gendarmerie, as well as the land and naval forces.
Among those detained from the military ranks are four colonels, as well as officers of varying seniority, including lieutenant colonels, majors and non-commissioned officers who are currently serving, the prosecutor’s office statement said.
In the police-focused leg of the operation, six active-duty personnel were detained. Another suspect was a former police officer who had previously been dismissed, while two others were expelled during their police training due to their links to FETÖ.
According to the prosecutor’s office, since the 2016 coup attempt, a total of 1,915 operations have been carried out targeting military suspects. As a result, 28,194 individuals were identified, of whom 25,801 were taken into custody.
