Court orders arrest of four Gülenist police officers in wiretapping probe

A Turkish court ordered arrest of four Gülenist police officers Friday over alleged illegal wiretapping as part of the "parallel state" operations.

The four suspects, former police chiefs Selat Öztürk and Aydın Altunkaya, chief inspector Fatih Doğan and deputy inspector Mutlu Çil, were questioned the same day by a prosecutor in Ankara.

Following the interrogations, the suspects were sent to court for arrest.

The suspects are accused of wiretapping thousands of people, including senior government officials, in order to allegedly topple the democratically elected government.

The Gülen Movement is a transnational movement accused of; wiretapping government officials, encrypted phones and infiltrating state institutions with the aim of overthrowing the government. It has private schools in over 160 countries, including the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa, and has faced scrutiny in countries including Russia, Azerbaijan, Germany and the U.S.