Four more police officers arrested as part of probe into wiretapping allegations

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

The investigation targets the alleged illegal wiretapping of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his inner circle. AA Photo

Four more police officers were arrested in the second wave of a wiretapping probe operation on Aug. 7, while six officers were released pending trial.

The number of arrests is likely to increase as 21 other police officers detained last week are expected to be sent to court. Two other officers are still being sought for interrogation.

The investigation targets the alleged illegal wiretapping of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his inner circle. It controversially comes after two corruption probes into high-profile figures from political and business circles, which were interpreted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as an operation aimed at toppling the government.

The AKP has claimed that supporters of Erdoğan’s former ally, U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, formed an organized structure within the state and have eavesdropped on the prime minister by using their leverage in the judiciary and the police.

Some 31 police officers were arrested in the first wave of the investigation last month, including senior figures such as Ali Fuat Yılmazer and Yurt Atayün, both former intelligence chiefs of the Istanbul Police Department.

But many of those officers detained were also involved in those corruption probes and have interpreted the current case as politically motivated.