Germany opens new probe into suspected Turkish spying
March 31, 2017
Germany has launched a second investigation into suspected spying by Turkey, and its interior minister said Berlin would not tolerate foreign espionage on its soil.
Tensions are running high between the two Nato allies ahead of a referendum in Turkey next month that proposes expanding the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan.
Berlin infuriated Ankara by cancelling several campaign rallies by Turkish ministers on German soil, drawing accusations from Turkey of “Nazi” tactics.
Media reports of Turkish espionage targeting members of Germany’s large ethnic Turkish diaspora have deepened the rift.
“We have launched an investigation into an unnamed entity on suspicion of espionage,” a spokesman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office (GBA) said.
He declined to comment on German media reports that the entity was the Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) and that it was suspected of spying on supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
