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Security forces on Tuesday apprehended 88 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the culprit of a 2016 coup attempt.
Suspects were targets of operations that were a culmination of two separate investigations in Istanbul and central Türkiye’s Kayseri.
Kayseri police, in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), launched operations in four cities, including Kayseri, Istanbul, Adana and Mersin, after eight months of surveillance. A total of 70 suspects were captured in operations. Along with unlicensed guns, police found hidden video and audio recorders in raided locations, along with printed and digital propaganda material, security sources said.
In Istanbul, the Chief Prosecutor’s Office announced on Tuesday that 18 suspects, including 16 public official,s were detained in operations against FETÖ in eight cities. The office said suspects were identified through a FETÖ database supplied by a secret eyewitness codenamed “Garson” and logs of encrypted messages between suspects.
“Garson,” a former member of the group, delivered an encrypted database of the group to police years ago. MIT deciphered the database in six years and discovered 3,000 infiltrators of FETÖ within the Turkish National Police. Statements of “Garson” indicate that FETÖ maintained surveillance on 320,000 members of the police force for 16 years, up until its notorious first attempt to topple the government in December 2013. Speaking about the lists, “Garson” told investigators that they were created by the group’s handlers of infiltrators within law enforcement and they were regularly presented to FETÖ leadership, to give insight about the scope of their infiltration. The lists contain all details about officers in terms of their affiliation with the group and rate them on their “loyalty.”
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul said Tuesday’s operations also netted two “secret imams” of FETÖ, handlers of infiltrators, and 16 other suspects who were public officials loyal to those so-called imams. Operations were held in Istanbul, Ankara, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Kastamonu, Kayseri and Samsun to capture the suspects.
