Turkey's former top judiciary official detained

The former secretary general of the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) was detained on Thursday in western Turkey over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO).

According to information obtained by Anadolu Agency, Mehmet Kaya, who was a fugitive, was detained in Canakkale, a northwestern province of Turkey where he was hiding, as part of an investigation into FETO.

The detention came during a police operation targeting 10 separate locations in Canakkale following a decision from the provincial chief prosecutor's office.

During the same operation, 20 others were also detained.

Separately, 11 employees of Ankara-based Gazi University including those who had been dismissed were held for suspected links with FETO following arrest warrants issued for 17 university personnel early Thursday.

In the central province of Cankiri, 10 serving officers were detained for allegedly contacting those in FETO’s private network through payphones.

According to the Turkish government, FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.