Former Turkish ambassadors linked to coup bid detained

By Aylin Sirikli and Sertac Bulur

ANKARA

Two former Turkish ambassadors linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) were detained Thursday, a police source said.

Tuncay Babali, former ambassador to Canada, and Ali Findik, former ambassador to Costa Rica, were held in Ankara for their alleged links to FETO, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking with the media.

Babali was suspended after the July 15 defeated coup as part of the investigation of FETO. Findik had been recalled from his post in 2015 and was suspended afterwards, the source added.

Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 240 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO network.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.

* Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report from Ankara.