Germany launched an investigation into surveillance of local Turks by Turkish intelligence services

The German prosecutor's office has opened an investigation in connection with reports of surveillance by the Turkish secret services of immigrants from Turkey living in the country. It is reported by AFP.

According to the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, in February, the Turkish secret services handed over to the German authorities a list with the names of about 300 immigrants from Turkey who live in Germany and allegedly support the preacher Fethullah Gülen (Ankara calls him the ideologist of last year's rebellion).

The documents contained addresses, phone numbers and photographs taken by "secret surveillance cameras," reports Deutsche Welle . In addition, Turkey has collected information on approximately 200 institutions in Germany, including schools allegedly associated with Gülen.

The prosecutor's office will find out how Turkey managed to collect such detailed information in Germany.

“Regardless of what you think of the Gülen movement, German laws apply here and other states will not spy on citizens living here,” was quoted as saying by German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière Reuters. According to him, Turkey has been repeatedly warned about the unacceptability of surveillance in Germany.

Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said the region's authorities had warned several individuals and organizations of surveillance by Turkey.

• the launch of an investigation in connection with surveillance by Turkish intelligence of immigrants from Turkey . announced In mid-March , the Swiss prosecutor's office
• Turkey's relations with Germany and some other European countries escalated in March 2017. The reason was the cancellation of rallies in Europe with the participation of Turkish ministers who intended to agitate local Turks to support a referendum on expanding the powers of the Turkish president. The leaders of Turkey resorted to comparing the current authorities of Germany with the Nazis, and also accused Germany of supporting terrorism.
• After an attempted coup in July 2016, the ideologist of which Ankara named preacher Fethullah Gülen living in the United States, Turkey demanded that the German authorities extradite people suspected of having links with the Gülenists. Since then, at least 136 Turkish citizens with diplomatic passports have applied for asylum in Germany.