Turkey: Police Detained for 'Spying' on Prime Minister, Other Officials

Turkey: Police Detained for 'Spying' on Prime Minister, Other Officials

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Istanbul’s chief prosecutor says dozens of police officers have been detained on suspicion of spying and of illegally wiretapping government officials, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the head of the Turkish intelligence agency.

Police raided the homes of several police officers early on Tuesday, taking at least one of them away in handcuffs. Turkish media reports said some of the police officers were involved in a corruption probe targeting four government ministers.

Prosecutor Hadi Salihoglu said 67 people have been detained so far.

Erdogan has long claimed that the corruption allegations that forced the ministers to resign were part of a coup attempt by followers of a U.S.-based moderate Islamic preacher. Many of the officers were removed from posts in a government purge earlier this year.

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