Police forces conducted simultaneous operations in many locations across 4 Turkish provinces after the arrest warrants were issued as part of a probe into the group’s activities.

While 14 suspects have been taken into custody, security forces are still looking for the remaining fugitive suspects.

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)