Turkish authorities detained 32 suspects in two separate operations targeting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), security officials said Thursday.
In the eastern province of Malatya, police detained 23 suspects in simultaneous raids across 17 provinces as part of an investigation coordinated by the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The operation was carried out by teams from the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), police intelligence units and counterterrorism officers, the Malatya Police Department said in a statement.
The raids targeted suspects accused of operating within FETÖ’s covert network inside the police force. The operation covered Malatya as well as Adana, Ankara, Batman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kilis, Konya, Mardin, Ordu, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa and Trabzon.
In a separate Izmir-based operation, nine suspects were detained in raids targeting the group’s alleged hideouts, police said.
The Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office coordinated the operation, which was carried out by counterterrorism and intelligence police. Authorities said one of the suspects, identified by the initials S.N., was accused of serving as the group’s so-called police handler.
Other suspects were accused of using ByLock, an encrypted messaging app Turkish authorities say was used by FETÖ members, and of maintaining active roles within the group’s hierarchy.
Police said the suspects were found in so-called “gaybubet houses,” hideouts allegedly used by fugitive members of the terrorist group.
Authorities said nine of 10 targeted suspects were detained in the Izmir operation, while efforts continued to capture one fugitive. The detainees were taken to police headquarters for questioning.
Türkiye designates FETÖ as a terrorist group, blaming it for the 2016 failed coup in which 252 people were killed, and 2,734 were wounded.
Ankara also accuses the terrorist group of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
