MojNews-A Turkish court in capital Ankara handed down aggravated life sentences to 18 members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization ( FETO ), said a judicial source Monday.

The court said they were guilty of martyring senior staff sergeant Omer Halisdemir during the 2016 defeated coup bid in Turkey.They were sentenced on the counts of intentional murder and attempt to overthrow the constitutional order.

According to the government, FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.