Ankara chief public prosecutor issued the warrants over claims the officers used the ByLock messaging app said to have been used by members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, did not provide information on the officers’ seniority or say how many had already been arrested.
Some of those subject to the warrants had already been dismissed from duty, the official said. Those arrested will be brought to Ankara police headquarters to give statements. FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, is accused of orchestrating the attempted coup in which 248 people were martyred.
ByLock is said to have been exclusively used by the group’s supporters until it was reported cracked by security agencies, which allowed the identification of FETO members. Since the failed coup, tens of thousands of police officers, military service personnel and other public employees have been arrested over their alleged ties to FETO.