Turkey Issues Over 200 Arrest Warrants For Soldiers Linked To Gulen Movement - Reports

(@FahadShabbir)

Turkey Issues Over 200 Arrest Warrants for Soldiers Linked to Gulen Movement - Reports

Turkish prosecutors issued on Friday arrest warrants for over 200 military personnel, 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 - 26th April, 2019) Turkish prosecutors issued on Friday arrest warrants for over 200 military personnel, 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 agency, citing unnamed sources, an Istanbul prosecutor issued warrants for the 210 soldiers, including colonels, lieutenant colonels, commanders and sergeants from Land Forces, Air Forces, Naval Forces, Gendarmerie Command and Coast Guard Command. The police is conducting simultaneous operations to arrest the suspects.

In addition, an Ankara prosecutor issued 41 arrest warrants for FETO suspects accused of cheating on exam to enter police college in 2009 by getting the exam questions in advance. According to the agency, 12 of 41 suspects have already been arrested in 13 provinces.

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. Since then over 50,000 people have been arrested and more than 160,000 civil servants, including military personnel, activists, officials, journalists, legal and educational workers, have been dismissed or suspended.

Gulen, who himself has been living in exile in the United States since 1999, has denied the accusations of plotting the coup.