34 FETO suspects arrested in 19 cities

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that 34 suspects were arrested in the “Clampdown-26” operations targeting the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) across 19 provinces.

In a statement on social media, Yerlikaya said that the operations were coordinated by the General Directorate of Security’s Counter-Terrorism Department, Intelligence Department, and Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department. The raids took place in Adana, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Aksaray, Bursa, Edirne, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Kahramanmaraş, Kırşehir, Muğla, Tokat, and Trabzon.

Yerlikaya revealed that the suspects were allegedly involved in FETO’s covert military and police networks. “It was determined that they communicated through payphones and were users of the organization’s encrypted messaging program, ByLock. The suspects were also named in various testimonies and identifications, and some had outstanding arrest warrants with confirmed prison sentences. A significant number of digital materials were seized during the operations,” he added.

The Interior Minister emphasized, “Let it be known that we will not give FETO members any respite. Our operations against terrorist organizations and their collaborators will continue with determination.” Yerlikaya also congratulated the police officers involved in the successful operations.

After many years of trying to infiltrate the Turkish state, FETO attempted a coup d’état on 15 July 2016 and killed 252 Turkish citizens.