Speaking at an awards ceremony held by the Turkish Academy of Sciences at Ankara’s presidential complex, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that a number of academics, judicial officials, policemen, soldiers, teachers and businessmen allegedly linked to FETO may have graduated from top universities, but they were deceived and “followed a charlatan’s false claims”, referring to FETO head Fetullah Gulen.
“Like many heretical structures, FETO members have lost their way. Forgetting what they are and who they are, they have become 'mankurt' [unthinking slaves] who do exactly what their owner [Gulen] orders,” Erdogan said. FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, has been accused of orchestrating the failed coup attempt of July 2016. The defeated coup left 248 people martyred, and around 2,200 others wounded.
Turkey's government accuses the FETO terror network of staging the coup attempt as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. Since the failed coup, operations have been ongoing in the military, police and judiciary, as well as in state institutions across the country, to arrest suspects with alleged links to FETO.
The terrorist group is also known for its network of hundreds of schools around the world.