An Ankara court on Thursday handed down aggravated life sentences to 18 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) convicts for their roles in the murder of a Turkish officer during the 2016 defeated coup attempt in Turkey,  a judicial source said.

Omer Halisdemir was killed during the night of defeated coup on July 15, 2016, after he shot dead a senior coup plotter. 

He became the symbol of the Turkish nation's resistance against the coup bid.

Halisdemir shot pro-coup Brig Gen Semih Terzi in the head after the latter attempted to seize control of the Special Forces Command in capital Ankara. 

Pro-coup soldiers later killed Halisdemir.

FETO blamed for coup

Turkey says FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 wounded.

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