Eight Police Officers Detained in Turkey over Government Leaks

Turkish authorities detained Tuesday at least 8 police officers, among them intelligence officials and deputy police chiefs.

Police raided suspects' homes in Adana, a city in Southern Turkey, early on Tuesday, conducting the operation over over suspicions that the eight were involved in the wiretapping of a series of conversations among government members alleging corruption schemes that were leaked through the Internet, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has blamed the leaks on Hizmet, the movement of self-exiled Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which is considered to be a rival of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some in the governing elite say Gulen has fifth columns in the executive and the judiciary and this led to a huge graft scandal on December 17 which triggered resignations of top-level party and cabinet officials.

The English-language website of Daily Sabah has even described Tuesday's police action as "the first operation against Gulen-linked parallel state".

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