Turkish prosecutor detained for violating national security in MİT truck probe

A former chief public prosecutor was detained early Thursday for allegedly violating national security over a 2014 incident where trucks belonging to the Turkish intelligence organization were stopped and searched near Syria.

The High Criminal Court no:2 in the southern city of Tarsus issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for Adana's former provincial gendarmerie (rural police) commander Özkan Cokay, former chief public prosecutor Süleyman Bağrıyanık plus prosecutors Özcan Şişman, Aziz Takci and Ahmet Karaca.

The arrest warrants were linked to a probe involving the stop and search of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization's (MIT) trucks ordered by Gülenist agents within state institutions in January 2014.

The searches took place in Turkey's southern provinces of Adana and Hatay.

After his detention Bağrıyanık was moved to Antalya Security Directorate's Anti-Terror Branch after a health check by police officers.

During his detention process Bağrıyanık told reporters that the warrant was "unlawful."

The MIT trucks were stopped in Adana by local gendarmerie on the grounds that they were loaded with ammunition, despite a national security law forbidding such a search.

Turkey's Interior Ministry said at the time that the trucks, which were claimed to be carrying arms into northern Syria, were in reality delivering humanitarian aid to the Turkmen community in the war-torn country.

An investigation has been continuing to detain other two prosecutors, Aziz Takci and Ahmet Karaca.

The four prosecutors, who were involved in ordering the search of the MIT vehicles, were later removed from their posts pending an inquiry.