6 Turkish police officers arrested in wiretapping probe

Six police officers have been arrested in Turkey on Friday as part of an ongoing wiretapping investigation that has seen hundreds of officers detained or removed from their posts in recent months.  Simultaneous raids were carried out across Turkey after arrest warrants were issued for 32 suspects in 13 Turkish provinces, mainly in western port city Izmir and Istanbul. While 16 people have been released, 10 others are still being questioned.  The former police chief of oil-rich southeastern province Batman, Hasan Ali Okan, was also arrested. The operations follow a December 2013 probe which led to the arrest of several high-profile figures, including the sons of three former government ministers and leading business people. All those detained in the earlier December raids have been released pending trial.

Prime Minister and President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has called the December anti-graft probe, which targeted several government ministers, a "coup attempt" by a "parallel structure." He claims the Gulen movement, led by US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, has infiltrated the Turkish state and attempted to overthrow the government.