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Turkish authorities detained 121 suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in nationwide operations over the past two weeks, with 58 of them formally arrested, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday.
In a statement shared on his NSosyal social media account, Yerlikaya said the operations were carried out in coordination with public prosecutors and the police’s counterterrorism (TEM), Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM), and Intelligence departments. Local TEM and KOM units conducted the raids across 37 provinces.
According to the minister, the suspects were allegedly active in the group’s military secret (“mahrem”) structure, its student network and its judicial infiltration structure. Some were identified as users of ByLock, the group’s encrypted messaging application. In contrast, others were accused of maintaining contact with senior members through payphones, which is a method long associated with covert FETÖ communication. Authorities also detained several individuals for disseminating pro-FETÖ propaganda on social media.
Yerlikaya noted that 29 additional suspects were placed under judicial control and legal proceedings for the remaining detainees were ongoing.
“Traps set against the national will are being dismantled one by one,” Yerlikaya said, praising security units involved in the operations. “Our fight against those who target the unity of our state and the peace of our nation will continue with determination.”
Additionally, Turkish authorities also issued detention warrants for 21 suspects as part of an investigation into the FETÖ’s networks within several key government institutions, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office also said on Tuesday.
The probe, led by the Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau, targets alleged FETÖ structures embedded in the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, and the Capital Markets Board. Prosecutors said the suspects were identified through “operational” phone lines, witness statements under the effective remorse law, and records showing sequential or individual calls from payphones associated with covert FETÖ communication.
Warrants were issued for 21 people, including nine active civil servants, six former employees who resigned, one retiree and five individuals previously dismissed from public service.
Simultaneous operations to detain the suspects were launched across six provinces, centered in Ankara.
FETÖ has been facing increased scrutiny following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others. Tens of thousands of people were detained, arrested or dismissed from public sector jobs following the attempt under a state of emergency.
