ANKARA
Turkish police on Wednesday detained 44 officials, including senior policemen, in a new operation in the capital Ankara and several other provinces across Turkey as part of an ongoing probe into the “parallel state.”
The detentions include a police chief and two policemen from Turkey's south-eastern Kahramanmaras province.
The operation came after the Ankara prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of 54 state officials -- three from the Presidency of Telecommunication and 51 policemen -- in 20 provinces, including Ankara, Konya, Bolu, Duzce, Hakkari and Diyarbakir provinces. Search for the remaining suspects continues.
Authorities have launched such operations before as well against what the government calls the "parallel state," a movement allegedly led by U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen and his supporters.
The "parallel state" is 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.
