Ankara Issues 50 Arrest Warrants For Soldiers Allegedly Involved In 2016 Coup - Reports

Ankara prosecutors issued on Monday arrest warrants for 50 soldiers, including those still on active duty, for their alleged links to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a terror group which Turkey blames for staging a failed government coup in 2016, local media reported, citing sources

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2019) Ankara prosecutors issued on Monday arrest warrants for 50 soldiers, including those still on active duty, for their alleged links to the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), a terror group which Turkey blames for staging a failed government coup in 2016, local media reported, citing sources.

According to the Turkish Anadolu media agency, citing unnamed sources, the police launched simultaneous operations across 24 provinces in the country to arrest the suspects.

Out of the 50, 35 people are still on active duty in the Turkish armed forces.

In March, the media outlet reported that over 1,000 Turkish military personnel were fired over nine months for their suspected connections with FETO.

Ankara has accused FETO, an organization run by followers of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt that left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured. In the aftermath of the short-lived rebellion, the Turkish government announced a state of emergency as a necessary measure to counteract terrorists and has since arrested thousands of people on suspicion of their participation in the coup. Gulen, who resides in the United States, has denied the accusation of plotting the coup.