Turkey will mark today with a series of events across the country the eighth anniversary of the failed coup attempt on July 15 2016, organized according to Ankara by the FETO network of the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, reported in the "Hurriet Daily News".
251 people died and more than 2,200 were injured in the failed coup, which attacked key locations in the capital Ankara, Istanbul and elsewhere.
The Turkish parliament later passed a law marking the anniversary of the coup attempt as National Unity Democracy Day.
The central commemoration ceremony will take place in the parliament, where flowers and wreaths will be laid at a memorial located in the area bombed during the coup.
Also, a number of historical sites, including the Galata Tower in Istanbul, three bridges over the Bosphorus and the Museum of the Republic in Ankara, will be illuminated in the colors of the national flag.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit the martyrs' cemetery in Istanbul's Edirnekapı district, after which he will attend the ceremony in the parliament. In the evening, Erdoğan will deliver a speech during a program at "Kazalı" Square. in Ankara.
The presidency said the events will show "the epic resistance of the Turkish people against the insidious coup attempt by defending their independence and democracy", with the aim of the series of events being to "preserve the spirit of July 15".
Speaking of the coup plotters at an event in Istanbul over the weekend, Erdogan said: "They committed all kinds of dastardly deeds to break the nation's resistance, but they failed to realize their treacherous and bloody ambitions. They thought they would occupy Turkey and subjugate the will of the nation, but 40 years of planning and preparation failed in just a few hours.
At the same time, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in an interview with Anadolu Agency on the eve of the anniversary that after the successful operations against FETO, which has been declared a terrorist organization in Turkey, a large part of the network's activity has been moved abroad.
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He said about 16 percent of FETO members hiding abroad are believed to be in the United States, and 23 percent are believed to be in Germany.
Wanted individuals try to flee abroad illegally, he says, stressing that the organization seeks international infiltration, using institutions such as schools, media, civil society groups and businesses.
In his words, thanks to Turkey's determined fight against FETO, the organization can no longer function within the limits of shit.
"Thanks to the investigations carried out in our ministry, 44,444 people were dismissed from various units, and for 849 people, precautionary measures continue,", the minister said.
Yerlikaya emphasized that efforts will continue with the same determination until the last member of the terrorist group is brought to justice.
"During the mandate of this cabinet, in 6,025 operations directed against FETO members, 9,738 persons were detained, 1,697 were arrested, and judicial control measures were imposed on 2,036 persons,", he added.
The Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who according to Ankara was behind the failed coup in 2016, has lived for many years in the American state of Pennsylvania. Turkey has been demanding his extradition for a long time, but the American judicial authorities have not approved this request, Anadolu Agency reminds.