Report: Turkey possibly spied on German parliamentarians
According to German newspaper Die Welt, the German federal police held security discussions with German members of parliament suspected of falling victim to Turkish espionage.
Merkel and Erdogan Photo credit: Reuters/ Channel 2 News
According to German newspaper Die Welt, the German federal police warned German Members of Parliament (MP) of the possibility that they have been spied on by Turkish intelligence. The report also stated that the MPs might serve as potential targets for Turkish nationalists.
“The Federal Criminal Police Office carried out so-called ‘security discussions’ with several members of parliament in recent weeks,” the report stated. “The discussions reportedly centered on the possible surveillance of Turkish intelligence and security risks posed by Turkish nationalists.”
There have been political tensions between Germany and Turkey for over a year, after the German parliament Bundestag passed a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. In addition, Germany criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s actions following the coup attempt last July. The imprisonment of Turkish-German journalist by Turkish authorities only made matters worse.
At the beginning of the year, the German Public Prosecutor General began two separate investigations into suspected espionage carried out by Turkish intelligence on German soil. Erdogan accused Germany of assisting Kurdish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
