34 people arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel

The suspects were arrested in several provinces of the country, the official Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday.

Thirty-four people suspected of spying for Israel were arrested in Turkey, accused in particular of preparing kidnappings, Turkish authorities announced on Tuesday January 2. The suspects, arrested in several provinces of the country, are suspected of having spied on foreign nationals residing in Turkey on behalf of the Israeli secret services, said the official Anadolu news agency. Twelve other suspects, accused of the same acts, are wanted, according to the Istanbul prosecutor’s office.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya claimed that Israeli intelligence services were preparing the“assault” or the“kidnapping” foreign nationals, without specifying their nationality.

An “attempt of sabotage against Turkey”, according to Erdogan

Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in early October, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a traditional ally of the Palestinian cause, has increased his invectives against Israel. He had as well as he did not exist “no difference” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler. The Turkish head of state denounced Tuesday a “attempted sabotage against Turkey and its interests”. “We are going to stop this merry-go-round”he said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected calls from the American administration urging Turkey to break its ties with Hamas. The Turkish president has repeatedly described Israel as“Terrorist state”believing that Hamas, considered a terrorist group by the European Union and many countries including the United States, was a “group of liberators who protect their land”. Major anti-Israel protests, encouraged by the Turkish government, have taken place across the country since early October.