22 July 2016•Update: 23 July 2016
ISTANBUL
Istanbul criminal judge, who has said he believed U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen was The Mahdi, i.e. the savior to appear before Judgment Day, has been remanded in custody after his appearance in court, security sources said on Friday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking with the media, security officials told Anadolu Agency that the judge Irfan Karagoz had been remanded in custody on Friday.
Karagoz had previously declared that he believed Fetullah Gulen was the Mahdi, also known as The Guided One or Awaited One, the prophesied.
According to Islamic belief, The Mahdi is the first of the major signs prior to the Day of Judgment. It is believed that he will rid the world of evil by ruling it for several years.
Karagoz was one of the suspects linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization's (FETO) failed coup. He was taken into custody, along with other judiciary members, in Istanbul on Friday.
Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly coup attempt on July 15, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,100 others, was organized by followers of Gulen.
Since last Friday, 132 judges and prosecutors have been remanded in custody.
Gulen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the "parallel state".
* Hatice Kesgin contributed to this report from Ankara.
