Turkish authorities have arrested six suspects, including an Iranian national, on accusations of political and military espionage on behalf of Iran, officials said.
The chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said on Jan. 28 the suspects were detained in coordinated operations across five provinces — Istanbul, Ankara, Van, Samsun and Yalova — following an investigation carried out with city police and Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MİT).
Prosecutors alleged the group was in contact with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence services and collected information on military bases and strategically important sites inside the country, as well as critical locations abroad.
Authorities said the suspects carried out reconnaissance and surveillance of the İncirlik Air Base in the southern city of Adana and were involved in shipping armed drones through Türkiye to third countries for operational purposes. The intelligence gathered was allegedly transferred to Iranian intelligence services.
Those arrested were identified as Iranian national Ashkan Jalali and Turkish nationals Remzi Beyaz, Alican Koç, Erhan Ergelen, Taner Özcan and Cemal Beyaz.
After being taken into custody and questioned by police, the suspects were referred to a court and formally arrested by a magistrate, the prosecutor’s office said.
