SIVAS, Turkey
Turkish security authorities have taken into custody 10 police officers Friday, including two intelligence officials, suspected of involvement in illegal wiretapping and spying on high-ranking officials.
According to Sivas Province's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department, the 10 police officials were all charged as part of a massive probe into illegal wiretapping.
The Sivas prosecution office had demanded that 35 suspects in 18 Turkish provinces were taken into custody on charges of "illegal wiretapping and espionage" as part of an ongoing "parallel state" operation.
Authorities have launched such operations before 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" designates a purported group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials reportedly embedded in the country's institutions, including the judiciary and police, who are allegedly trying to undermine the Turkish government.
