Istanbul court remands 47 coup suspects in custody

By Hanife Sevinc, Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul court on Wednesday remanded 47 out of 134 suspects in custody for their alleged links to Friday's failed coup, a judicial source said.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, the source said 47 suspects, including judges and prosecutors, have been charged with being part of the "FETO terror group".

Meanwhile, a total of 816 suspected coup participants, including military personnel, police officers, teachers and civil servants, were detained by courts in Istanbul since the beginning of the coup attempt on July 15.

Over 1,500 detained suspects are still being interrogated.

Turkey's government has said the attempted coup was organized by followers of U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through supporters within Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming a ‘parallel state’.

At least 240 people, including members of the security forces and civilians, were martyred in Istanbul and Ankara and nearly 1,500 others wounded as they protested against the coup.

*Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report from Ankara.