Germany warns of Turkish intelligence activity on its soil

In a statement sent to the German parliament in response to a request for a briefing by the "opposition" Left Party, the German government said: "Last September, the Turkish authorities arrested the lawyer for our embassy in Ankara (Yilmaz S), who owns many files of Turkish asylum seekers."

And added, "It is possible that the Turkish intelligence services can focus on the asylum seekers who have information about them," adding that "it is also possible that the Turkish intelligence services will intensify espionage activities, deploy more spies, and carry out attacks in Germany against Turkish asylum seekers."

According to the German newspaper Tagus Zeitung, "The government secretly informed Parliament of specific measures to protect Turkish asylum seekers present in Germany, but did not allow their publication in the media."

The same newspaper stated that the German Foreign Ministry suspended cooperation with Turkish lawyers, so as not to be targeted by the Erdogan regime.

A few days ago, a report of the RND website stated that, "In mid-December, the German authorities identified the identity of 448 asylum seekers whose names and sensitive information about them and their relatives became in the grip of Turkish intelligence after the interrogation of the lawyer of the German embassy, ​​Yilmaz S."

The arrest of lawyer "Yilmaz S." last September, and his accusation of espionage and his detention in solitary confinement, led to a major crisis in relations between Berlin and Ankara.

The detained lawyer was tasked with verifying the information provided by Turkish asylum seekers in Germany, when they applied for asylum.

The arrested lawyer has files belonging to "Turkish" opponents, including many members of the preaching movement Abdullah Gulen, who are accused by the Turkish authorities of masterminding the alleged coup. They have applied for asylum in Germany during the recent period, according to Der Spiegel magazine.

Since the alleged coup in July 2016, thousands of Turkish opponents and members of the Gülen movement have sought refuge in Germany to escape the repression of the Turkish authorities.

(T/S)

ANHA