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The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara ordered the detention of 15 suspects in an investigation into the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) on Tuesday.
The suspects are allegedly members of a secret network at the Foreign Ministry. Eight among them were active-duty employees of the ministry, security sources said.
FETÖ is known for its widespread infiltration in the public sector, from the judiciary to law enforcement. On July 15, 2016, it utilized its infiltrators in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for a military coup. The coup attempt failed thanks to a strong public resistance and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s firm stand against the putschists. Since the coup attempt was quashed, authorities have been launching operations against FETÖ almost daily.
Prosecutors in Ankara said in a statement that the suspects wanted on Tuesday were identified through a string of evidence, including their use of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app developed and exclusively used by members of the terrorist group, their communication through public payphones, a commonly employed method by secretive FETÖ to avoid detection and statements of eyewitnesses questioned in other investigations. Six suspects wanted were already expelled from their jobs on suspicion of links to the terrorist group. Operations were launched in four cities to capture the suspects.
Separately, authorities in the western city of Izmir detained 10 suspects linked to FETÖ on Tuesday. Three other suspects wanted in the investigation remain at large. Authorities said that the operations in Izmir’s Konak, Menemen and Seferihisar districts netted suspects, including retired police officers, teachers, civilians and police officers, who were earlier sacked for their suspected links to the terrorist group.
