Turkey arrests dozens of police officers in crackdown on wiretapping

Istanbul, 1 September 2014 (MIA) - At least 30 police officers were arrested Monday in fresh raids across Turkey targeting officials accused of carrying out illegal wiretapping on government officials, media reports say.

The officers, allegedly part of a plot to overthrow the government, are accused of wiretapping, espionage and forgery, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Previous raids since June have led to the arrests of dozens of officers, about half of whom have since been released. Some of those in custody are senior officers.

The charges relate to anti-graft investigations by police officers and prosecutors last year against top government officials and businessmen, which prompted several ministers to resign.

The officers charged in the previous raids say they are being targeted for political reasons.

The government claims the corruption probes were organized by a so-called "parallel structure," a term it uses to refer to followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish-born Muslim cleric living in the United States.

Hundreds of police officers and prosecutors were purged from their posts following the initial corruption probes against government officials in December.