Turkish Prosecutors Arrests 17 Gulen-Linked Gendarmerie Officers In Ankara - Reports

Turkish Prosecutors Arrests 17 Gulen-Linked Gendarmerie Officers in Ankara - Reports

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office arrested 17 Turkish gendarmerie officers for their alleged links to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and hold responsible for staging the 2016 failed military coup in the country, local media reported on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office arrested 17 Turkish gendarmerie officers for their alleged links to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Ankara refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and hold responsible for staging the 2016 failed military coup in the country, local media reported on Wednesday.

According to the Anadolu news agency, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had earlier issued arrest warrants for 34 individuals over their suspected ties with FETO, including six majors, two captains, three lieutenants, and 14 petty officers, as well as nine imams.

The failed coup attempt, aimed at bringing down the government and the country's president, took place on July 15, 2016, and was promptly suppressed by the government forces, but still left 251 people dead and around 2,200 injured. Ankara has accused Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999, and his followers of orchestrating the coup, which Gulen has repeatedly refuted.

Around 80,000 people, including officials and military staff, have reportedly been arrested in Turkey over their alleged links to FETO since the coup attempt.