Turkish police launched simultaneous operations in İzmir after the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Izmir had issued arrest warrants for 12 suspects, who allegedly have links to the organization.

Prosecutors determined that the suspects were users of Bylock, a smartphone application that allowed users to communicate via a private, encrypted connection.

In Turkey, possession of the app is deemed evidence of membership in the FETO organization, which was connected to the failed Turkish coup d'état attempt in July 2016.

Users of ByLock were deemed terrorists in Turkish courts.

According to local media reports, of the 215,000 former ByLock users, an estimated 23,000 have been detained by Turkish authorities. (ILKHA)