Türkiye detains 233 FETÖ-linked suspects in 20 days

Over the past 20 days, Turkish authorities have detained 233 people suspected of ties to the terrorist organisation FETÖ.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X that 87 of those detained have been formally arrested, while 50 remain under judicial supervision, Caliber.Az reports.

Investigations into the remaining individuals are ongoing.

FETÖ’ye yönelik son 20 gündür Polislerimiz tarafından devam eden operasyonlarımızda; 223 şüpheli yakalandı.

🔻FETÖ’nün “Mahrem yapılanmalar” içerisinde faaliyette bulunan,
🔻FETÖ’nün kriptolu haberleşme programı ByLock kullanıcısı olan,
🔻Ankesörlü telefonlarla örgüt içindeki… pic.twitter.com/9qrrpYlV8d

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) January 6, 2026

The Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ) was a clandestine network led by Fethullah Gülen, a cleric who lived in self-exile in the United States until he died in 2024.

Initially allied with Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the group broke ties with the government in the early 2010s and was officially labelled a terrorist organisation in 2016. Turkish authorities accused FETÖ of infiltrating key state institutions—including the judiciary, police, and military—over several decades.

The organisation is held responsible for the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, which left more than 250 people dead. Officials said Gülen loyalists coordinated the effort using encrypted apps such as ByLock. In the aftermath, Türkiye carried out an extensive crackdown, arresting tens of thousands and dismissing over 100,000 public employees from the civil service, judiciary, military, and academic institutions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada