At least 10 policemen detained in illegal wiretapping case

SİVAS – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

At least 10 police officers were detained across Turkey as a part of the illegal wiretapping operation into the “parallel state,” while arrest warrants were issued for 35 officers.

Security forces launched the operation, based in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, at around 11 a.m. on March 13.

The operation was conducted in 18 different provinces including Ankara, Eskişehir, Ordu, Çorum and Sivas. While some of the police officers were detained on duty, others were taken from their houses.

Two police officers, including the former head of the Sivas police intelligence branch, identified by the initials F. A., were detained in Sivas.

All officers targeted in the operation had formerly worked in Sivas before being moved to their current stations.

The Turkish government has accused followers of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen of engaging in illegal wiretapping and alleged that the network, dubbed as the “parallel state” by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attempted to infiltrate the Turkish state.

Erdoğan repeatedly has denounced the December 2013 graft probes as a “dirty plot” to overthrow the government. Turkey faced its biggest ever corruption case in Dec. 17 and 25, 2013 when probes were launched including four former ministers and their sons.

According to a special team working on the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) recordings, Erdoğan was wiretapped between Dec. 17 and 20, 2013, and once more six days later, at the height of the graft probe, a total of 55 times. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was eavesdropped on 26 times while Hakan Fidan, the head of National Intelligence Organization (MİT), was eavesdropped on 28 times.