Turkish authorities detained 239 suspects across the country on Tuesday in coordinated operations targeting the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which Ankara blames for the 2016 failed coup.
The largest sweep focused on suspected FETÖ infiltration into the Turkish Armed Forces, where 158 suspects, including active-duty and retired officers, were taken into custody in operations spanning 41 provinces, prosecutors in Istanbul and Izmir said. Arrest warrants were issued for 16 additional suspects.
Authorities said many suspects used payphones to maintain clandestine contact with civilian handlers— a method long associated with FETÖ’s covert communication system. Investigators created a national database to track such phone use, leading to thousands of detentions since the coup attempt.
Since 2016, more than 28,000 individuals have been identified in relation to payphone-based communication, of which nearly 26,000 have been detained. Around 9,000 remain in custody, and over 2,300 are still at large. Prosecutors noted that 37% of those detained cooperated, providing intelligence that fueled further operations.
In a separate investigation, 21 suspects were detained for allegedly forming a secret FETÖ network within the police, including 13 active-duty officers and two so-called “imams,” a term used by the group for internal handlers. Raids were conducted in 14 provinces.
Meanwhile, police in eight provinces detained 60 people linked to a restaurant chain allegedly used to launder funds for the group. Prosecutors say the suspects transferred money to ex-public sector workers with FETÖ ties and used covert partnerships to avoid scrutiny.
The franchise, Maydonoz Döner, is accused of awarding “reference-based” business shares only to FETÖ affiliates and channeling funds through front businesses. Authorities previously seized the company and appointed trustees.
The July 15, 2016 coup attempt left 251 people dead and more than 2,000 wounded. Turkey designates FETÖ a terrorist group and continues to pursue suspects tied to its vast network. While many members have fled abroad, security officials say the group still has hidden operatives in the military and state institutions.
FETÖ has also been implicated in financial crimes, fraud, and plots against critics. In 2023, intelligence services uncovered over 3,000 suspected FETÖ infiltrators in the national police using data extracted from an encrypted database linked to a top operative code-named “Garson” (“Waiter”).