Turkish authorities have suspended 12,801 police officers from duty, police headquarters said on Oct. 4 over their suspected links with U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gülen and his network, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating a failed coup attempt in July.

The move came after the Interior Ministry launched an investigation into the police force, broadcaster CNN Türk reported, and a day after the Turkish government extended a state of emergency for another three months.

Of the total number of police suspended across the country, 2,523 were police chiefs, the statement said. Turkey’s total police force numbers about 250,000.

About 100,000 people in the military, civil service, police and judiciary have already been sacked or suspended in a post-coup crackdown, and some 32,000 people have been arrested for their alleged role in the failed bid.

Source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com