The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of three individuals working on behalf of Emirati intelligence after conducting espionage activities aimed at gathering information on personnel working in defence-related facilities.
In its statement, the Prosecutor’s Office said that the Emirati intelligence operatives used fake online accounts for their activities inside Turkey, opening fabricated profiles by using phone lines obtained from a Turkish telecommunications company.
According to the statement, through these fabricated profiles they contacted employees in administrative positions within key Turkish defence institutions, phone lines used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and several official figures from foreign states.
The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the primary objective of the spy network was to collect biographical data on personnel working in sensitive locations and to build an intelligence database relating to them.
It added that investigations revealed that four of the operatives purchased a phone line from Turkey and, acting on instructions from Emirati intelligence, sent it to the United Arab Emirates where it was handed over to intelligence officers. Communication between the operatives was carried out through this line.
At dawn today, the Prosecutor’s Office and Turkish counterterrorism forces executed a raid that resulted in the arrest of three members of the group. The fourth suspect has fled the country, and an arrest warrant has been issued for him.
