The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 33 suspects Tuesday as part of its probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to a judicial source.
The suspects are former employees of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.
They were accused of using the ByLock mobile app that was allegedly used by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members during last year's deadly defeated coup.
The app is believed to have been cracked by Turkish security agencies before the coup, prompting the plotters to switch to the WhatsApp messaging service but not before tens of thousands of FETO suspects were identified.
According to the Turkish government, FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.
Ankara 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.
