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Asia

Three detained in Istanbul on charges of spying for UAE

25 November 2025 13:42 (UTC +04:00)

Three people identified as spying for the UAE have been detained in Istanbul, APA’s Türkiye bureau reports.

An operation aimed at exposing “military and political espionage” activities was carried out by the Istanbul Anti-Terror Branch and the MIT, coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

During the investigations it was determined that employees of the United Arab Emirates intelligence service, using fake profiles with a number belonging to a GSM company operating in Türkiye, tried to establish contact with senior officials working in defense industry institutions, phones used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and some foreign officials, in order to collect biographical information about those in critical positions. Four people, who purchased this GSM number, took it to the UAE, handed it over to the intelligence agents, and were interconnected, were also identified.

During the operation, 3 of the 4 suspects were detained, and a search warrant was issued for 1 person determined to be abroad.