(AA) – An Istanbul court will issue a ruling Saturday in the case of 21 police officers suspected of “illegal wiretapping and espionage.”
Warrants had been issued for the officers as part of an ongoing operation in 12 Turkish provinces. They were detained on suspicion of involvement in illegal eavesdropping and spying on high-ranking officials.
An investigation was launched in July 2014 over allegations that phone calls of then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, several ministers and the national intelligence chief, among many others, were illegally wiretapped.
Operations have been held across the country against the “parallel state,” a movement allegedly formed by U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen and his supporters.
Turkish officials blame Gulen and his movement for masterminding a plot to overthrow the elected Turkish government via supporters in the judiciary, police and other institutions.
An Istanbul criminal court recently issued an arrest warrant for Gulen as part of a probe into the “parallel state” operation.
Turkey wants Gulen to be extradited from the U.S., where he has lived since 1999.
