More Istanbul courthouse staff detained in FETO probe

By Mustafa Hatipoglu and Filiz Kinik

ISTANBUL

Turkish police detained 20 more suspects working for Istanbul's Anadolu Palace of Justice on Friday, judicial sources told Anadolu Agency.

The suspects were detained under the Fetullah Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY) probe.

The total number of courthouse personnel detained is now 86.

A total of 66 judicial personnel, including court clerks and ushers, were detained on Thursday.

The rooms of the detained staff, including court clerks and ushers, were searched by the police.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting the investigation.

The office issued arrest warrants for around 100 members of the judiciary Thursday as part of a probe into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO/PDY), a police source previously told Anadolu Agency.

Turkey's government has said the defeated coup, which left 241 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO network.

Gulen is also accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.