35 pilots arrested over FETO links

By Metin Bolat

KONYA, Turkey

Thirty-five pilots were arrested Wednesday over links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), security sources said.

The suspects are among 55 pilots – 54 lieutenants and ex-lieutenants along with a colonel – against which arrest warrants were issued earlier Wednesday by the chief public prosecutor in the central Anatolian province of Konya.

The prosecutor's office launched the probe for the pilots on charges of violating the Constitution, treason, and being a member of an armed terrorist organization.

A provincial security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, told Anadolu Agency that seven of the suspects had already been discharged from the armed forces.

According to information received from the Konya Prosecutor's Office, the suspects are located in the provinces of Konya, Ankara, Izmir, Istanbul, Kayseri, Eskisehir, Balikesir, and Adana. The operation to arrest the other 20 suspects is underway, the sources added.

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating Turkey’s July 15 coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The July 15 defeated coup left 246 people martyred and some 2,194 injured.