Turkey: Police detain 12 in 'parallel state' crackdown
Police have detained 12 people, including senior media figures across Turkey in a crackdown on alleged conspirators that plan to topple Turkish gov't
Police detained 12 people, including senior media figures across Turkey Sunday morning in a crackdown on alleged conspirators that plan to topple the ruling Turkish government.
According to police, eight people were detained in Istanbul, two in central Eskisehir province, one in eastern province of Van and one in eastern province of Erzurum in a special police operation.
Ekrem Dumanli, chief editor of the daily Zaman, and Hidayet Kara, the chairman of Samanyolu television group, are among those detained on allegations of being affiliated with the so-called Gulen movement.
The Turkish government believes the movement is led by a U.S.-based preacher, Fetullah Gulen, and officials accuse it of infiltrating the Turkish state.
Police said they aimed to detain around 32 people in total in the ongoing operation, including senior police officers and media members. The detainees are alleged to be involved in a plot to fabricate evidence and conspiracy under an organized structure in a 2010 Gulen-movement inspired operation, police added.
Salih Aslan, the producer and Engin Koc, the director, of a Samanyolu TV show were taken into custody in Eskisehir province and sent to Istanbul, police said.
A lawyer for the two, Turgay Balaban, said that Aslan and Koc were detained on charges of being linked to a foreign operation.
Makbule Cam, scriptwriter of the TV show Tek Turkiye or One Turkey, was detained in Van province.
A chief police officer in eastern Erzurum province has also been detained, police said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to take to task the alleged Gulen movement group members on numerous occasions. The government has described the movement supporters as the "parallel state structure" members since late 2013.
Referring to the alleged parallel structure, Erdogan told Turkish businessmen in Istanbul on Dec. 6 that there would be "no mercy" for any type of treason.
Also, on Dec. 1, an Ankara court approved an indictment prepared by a public prosecutor as part of an investigation into the alleged wiretapping of Erdogan's office when he was Turkey's prime minister.
Erdogan revealed in late 2012 that a bug had been found in his office and charges of political spying were brought against 13 suspects, including senior police officers.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan on Nov. 18 also described the alleged parallel structures within the state as harmful to democracy and the nation's will.
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