BERLIN, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/AFP) – Germany has opened a probe
into the actions of a senior member of a Turkish governmental religious organisation suspected of asking its members to spy on followers of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen, German media reported Friday.
The German federal prosecutor had announced earlier in the week the opening
of an investigation into claims that Turkish agents have been spying on
followers of Gulen, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a
failed coup attempt last year.
Relations between NATO allies Germany and Turkey have been strained by
disputes centred on human rights issues, especially since last July’s failed
coup and a subsequent crackdown on alleged conspirators.
The row deepened after Germany and the Netherlands blocked campaign events
by Turkish ministers earlier this month ahead of a referendum vote to boost
presidential powers. In an angry response, Erdogan accused both countries of
using “Nazi” methods.
More than 41,000 people in Turkey have been arrested over suspected links to Gulen’s movement, and 100,000 fired or suspended from their jobs. Many of
them are teachers, police, magistrates and journalists.
Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the German state of Lower Saxony,
said on Tuesday that Erdogan’s government had asked Berlin to help spy on about
300 alleged Gulen supporters in Germany.
On Friday the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily and regional public
television
channels said that German prosecutors had last month begun investigating Halife Keskin, who heads the foreign relations department of the Turkish state religious affairs agency Diyanet.
According to the media reports, Germany suspects the agency of asking its
members based overseas, notably imams in Germany, to gather information on
people deemed close to Gulen.
The German Der Spiegel weekly reported Friday that Diyanet had asked
Turkish consulates in 35 countries to gather information about Gulen supporters.
The magazine cited Australia, Nigeria, Mauritania and Mongolia as among the
countries targeted.