Turkish Court Remands In Custody 118 Suspects Over Links To Gulen - Reports

A court in Istanbul remanded in custody 118 people as a part of the investigation into the infiltration of terrorists, linked to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), into the Turkish army, media reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2018) A court in Istanbul remanded in custody 118 people as a part of the investigation into the infiltration of terrorists, linked to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), into the Turkish army, media reported on Tuesday.

The Anadolu news agency reported that the suspects were remanded in custody on suspicion of being members of a terrorist organization.

Ankara blames FETO for the 2016 military coup attempt in Turkey, which was aimed at overthrowing the country's government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It was promptly suppressed by government forces, but still left over 2,000 people injured and over 250 killed. Ankara has accused Gulen and his followers of playing a key role in the military takeover attempt, which the cleric, who has been residing in the United States since 1999, has refuted.

Since the incident, scores of military personnel, teachers, reporters and activists have been arrested over their suspected links to FETO.