Former Istanbul police chief remanded in July 15 probe

By Muhammed Enes Can

ISTANBUL

A former Istanbul police chief was remanded in custody Saturday evening by a Turkish court for belonging to an armed terrorist organization, according to legal sources.

Former Police Chief Huseyin Capkin was part of a group of four suspects previously detained under the investigation into the Fetullah Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETO/PDY), which Turkey blames for the July 15 defeated coup.

The other suspects are former Istanbul Deputy Governor Osman Tunc and civil inspectors Gurkan Polat and Yilmaz Kurt.

Former Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu was also remanded on Aug. 5 under the same investigation.

Turkey's government says the defeated coup, which left 240 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. since 1999, and his FETO network.

Gulen is accused of leading 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.

Tens of thousands of people – mostly teachers and civil servants in the police, military, judiciary – have been arrested over possible links to the July 15 coup bid.