Turkey: 4 people detained in 'parallel state' probe

KAYSERI, Turkey

Police have taken into custody four people Wednesday suspected of providing the questions of a 2011-2012 military high school exam to entrants beforehand, security sources said.

Three of the four suspects, one aged 25, the others 44 and 46, were detained in the central province of Kayseri, while another was held in the capital Ankara.

Wednesday's operation was launched on the sidelines of an ongoing "parallel state" probe that has seen hundreds arrested since last summer for alleged links to U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen and his so-called Gulen movement. The alleged network is accused of orchestrating a corruption probe which targeted high-ranking Turkish officials in December 2013 in a bid to overthrow the government.

The suspects, who are accused of being member of the "Gulenist terrorist organization", " violation of Student Selection and Placement Center Law", and "involvement in irregularities in military school entrance exam", will be questioned following a medical examination.

Police are still searching for four other suspects, three of which have reportedly fled to Kyrgyzstan before the operation.

According to the Turkish government, the “parallel state” or “parallel structure” refers to a purported group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials embedded in the country's institutions, including the judiciary and police, who are allegedly trying to undermine the Turkish government.