Police detain 34 'parallel state' suspects in Izmir

IZMIR, Turkey

Police have detained 34 people in simultaneous operations against the “parallel state structure” in Turkey's western Izmir province, Turkish police sources said Friday.

The parallel state, known also by the initials FETO/PDY, designates a clandestine group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials, allegedly embedded in the country’s institutions, including the judiciary and the police.

The detainees are all alleged to be part of a conspiracy headed by Fetullah Gulen, a U.S.-based preacher who runs a network of schools and commercial enterprises in Turkey and around the world.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Izmir said that an operation against the suspects was launched by its anti-terror and organized crime branch on the grounds that they allegedly collected money for FETO/PDY through aid, scholarship and forced donations after threats or blackmail.

"In accordance with the evidences, the prosecutor's office launched detentions over 57 suspects, including businessmen, lawyers and a bureaucrat," the office said.

It added that searches at 40 addresses had been carried out so far.

Police sources earlier said the latest operation in Izmir targeted 58 people, out of which 34 people had been held, while the search for 24 others continued.

Since early 2014, investigations into the parallel state have seen hundreds of civil servants, including police and public prosecutors, arrested or reassigned.

IZMIR, Turkey

Police have detained 34 people in simultaneous operations against the “parallel state structure” in Turkey's western Izmir province, Turkish police sources said Friday.

The detainees are all alleged to be part of a conspiracy headed by Fetullah Gulen, a U.S.-based preacher who runs a network of schools and commercial enterprises in Turkey and around the world.

"In accordance with the evidences, the prosecutor's office launched detentions over 57 suspects, including businessmen, lawyers and a bureaucrat," the office said.

It added that searches at 40 addresses had been carried out so far.

Police sources earlier said the latest operation in Izmir targeted 58 people, out of which 34 people had been held, while the search for 24 others continued.

Since early 2014, investigations into the parallel state have seen hundreds of civil servants, including police and public prosecutors, arrested or reassigned.