Turkish Prosecutors Target 63 Members of the Military over Ties to 2016 Coup Attempt
Prosecutors in Türkiye issued arrest warrants for 63 active-duty military personnel Friday over alleged ties to the late Fethullah Gulen, who was accused of masterminding the failed 2016 coup.
State news agency Anadolu said 56 active-duty soldiers from the Turkish armed forces had been arrested, with another seven still being sought.
Halk TV meanwhile said nine police officers were arrested, "most of them in Istanbul.'
"In an operation against the terrorist organization FETO in 36 provinces centered in Istanbul, 56 of the 63 active-duty soldiers for whom detention orders were issued were captured," Anadolu said.
The FETO -- or the "Fethullah Terror Organization" -- is the name Türkiye gives to Gulen's Hizmet movement.
The prosecutor's statement said those targeted Friday were identified through telephone communications and said FETO still posed the 'greatest threat to the constitutional order and survival of the state.'
Since the failed coup, 25,801 military suspects have been detained, it added.
The statement did not specify the exact charges against the suspects.
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