UPDATE - 61 court personnel in Istanbul held over FETO links

CHANGES HEADLINE, ADDS NUMBER OF DETENTIONS

By Filiz Kinik

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 61 Istanbul court personnel were detained Tuesday under an ongoing probe of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), accused of being behind the July 15 defeated coup.

The suspects, who work at Anadolu Courthouse on the Asian side of the city, are charged with having links to FETO, the judicial sources said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

A total of 83 warrants were issued, and police are still hunting down the remaining 22 suspects, sources said.

Officers conducted searches of the suspects’ homes as well as their offices.

On Monday, police also raided the Istanbul, Bakirkoy, and Gaziosmanpasa courts after warrants for 173 people were issued the same day.

Following the July 15 coup attempt, around 26,000 people have been arrested across Turkey. Senior business figures as well as military, police, judges, prosecutors and teachers have been among those targeted.

At least 240 people were martyred in the coup attempt, which the government has said was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.

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

* Burcu Arik contributed to this report from Istanbul.