By Durmus Genc and Ali Balli

MUGLA, Turkey

Turkish security forces on Friday arrested a total of 17 suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) who were attempting to cross by sea to nearby Greek islands. 

The Turkish Coast Guard stopped a boat -- carrying 30 Turkish citizens including 13 children -- off the coast of the Bodrum district of the southwestern Mugla province, said sources who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

There were also four Syrian nationals and two suspected Turkish smugglers on the boat, said the coast guard sources.

Seventeen FETO suspects were arrested along with the two suspected Turkish smugglers, they added.
Ankara accuses FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen of having orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Turkey also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.