Thirty-four judiciary members – 17 prosecutors and 17 judges — were detained as part of an investigation launched into a failed coup attempt by a group of soldiers in Turkey.
It was reported earlier that detention orders were issued for 2,745 judiciary members across Turkey on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization.”
Six prosecutors and seven judges were detained in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak and were sent to the police department for questioning after undergoing medical check in the Zonguldak Atatürk State Hospital.
Seven judges and six prosecutors were also detained in the western province of Çanakkale, while police officers were unable to detain two prosecutors and a judge who cannot be found.
A judge as well as two prosecutors were detained in the İnegöl district of the western province of Bursa as part of the same investigation. The detainees were referred to İnegöl Courthouse after undergoing medical check in İnegöl State Hospital.
Two judges and three prosecutors were also detained in Düzce province after detention orders for 14 judiciary members in the province were issued.
A group of soldiers attempted a military coup that started around 10 p.m. on Friday, when military tanks rolled onto the streets of Ankara and İstanbul and soldiers blocked the Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. The military’s claim of a takeover was read on state broadcaster TRT. The anchor said the military imposed martial law and declared a curfew until further notice.
However, the coup attempt lost momentum after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returned from vacation at the seaside resort of Marmaris.
At least 161 people, including soldiers and police, were killed and 1,440 others were injured, while 2,839 soldiers were detained so far, according to Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım’s statement on Saturday.