Security forces captured fifteen suspects on Tuesday in a string of operations against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Operations against the terrorist group behind The July 15, 2016 coup attempt has become almost routine since the attempt intensified the investigation into the group’s activities.
In the Western Province of Afyonkarahisar, prosecutors Published arrest warrants for eight suspects. All were detained in operations in Afyonkarahisar and five other provinces. The suspects were charged of work as “secret imams » for FETÖ, name given to the group of civilian dog handlers for its infiltrators in the army, the justicelaw enforcement or any other public agency. Captured suspects were dog handlers for cadets at a police academy in Afyonkarahisar, according to the authorities. They served as “imams” of FETÖ for cadets loyal to the group between 2008 and 2016, according to investigators. The detainees were teachers, engineers and academics and some were users of Bylock, an encrypted messaging app exclusively used by FETÖ, according to investigators.
ByLock was discovered during criminal investigation into the terrorist group whose illegal activities have come under the spotlight since two coup attempts in 2013. The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) discovered the apparently programmed or modified messaging application for the exclusive use of the groupmembers. A group of intelligence agents were charged of control the private app used to convey messages from FETÖ leader Fethullah Gülen to son followersas well as to educate the groupmembers on how carry out plots against anti-Gülenists.
Four FETÖ fugitive suspects sentenced of membership in the terrorist group and sentenced to seven years and six month in prison in in absentia, were captured in another operation in central province of Konya. The suspects were tried after the coup attempt in 2016 in a mass trial of the terrorist group is network in Province.
Elsewhere, security forces arrested three FETÖ suspects in a military-controlled area near the Greek border in northwestern province of Edirne. Suspects were trying to sneak into Greece when detected in a area in Ipsala district. On Monday, two other suspects linked to the group were detained in the district of Uzunköprü of Edirne as they attempted to cross into Greece. One was arrested while the other suspect was released with judicial review. Greece was the favorite bridge for suspects linked to the group although most prefer land routes in Northwestern Turkey. The European country attracted more FETÖ fugitives after refusing to extradite soldiers implied in the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey after hijacking a military helicopter and took shelter in Greece. More than 8,000 FETÖ members have moved to Greece in the past three years, according to the authorities. Ankara criticized the country for ignoring his calls for international Cooperation against the terrorist group.
