Germany investigates possible anti-Gulen spies


Date posted: February 15, 2017

German police have raided apartments of four men suspected of carrying out espionage on behalf of the Turkish government. The men, said to be clerics, are accused of spying on supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen.

German authorities said on Wednesday that they had raided the apartments of four imams suspected of spying on opponents of the Turkish government.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (GBA) said the raids, in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, were to find evidence. No arrests were made.

The GBA said the imams were believed to have given information to a Turkish diplomatic mission about followers of the cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused US-based Gulen of instigating a failed military coup in July last year, and has launched a crackdown on his supporters inside Turkey.

“The individuals are suspected of having collected information about members of the so-called Gulen movement and passed it on to the general consulate in Cologne,” the GBA said.

Gulen – who was close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  before their relationship turned sour – has condemned the coup attempt, while acknowledging some of his supporters may have participated.

The GBA said in a statement that the clerics were believed to have acted on an order issued by the Turkish based religious authority Diyanet last September. That order requested “detailed reports” on pro-Gulen organizations, including small community groups.

Ankara’s influence ‘clear’

German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said the four men were members of Ditib, Germany’s largest association of mosques. The group brings imams from Turkey to serve Germany’s Turkish community, which numbers some three million people.

“It is very clear that the influence of the Turkish state on Ditib is big,” said Maas in a statement. “The association must plausibly disengage itself from Ankara.”

An Austrian, Green party lawmaker this week claimed that Turkish diplomats were enlisting Turkish religious organizations in Austria to undermine Gulen supporters there. Parliamentarian Peter Pilz said his team was working on documents to show the practice was even more widespread, spanning some 30 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia.

rc/jm (AP, Reuters)

Source: Deutsche Welle , February 15, 2017


Related News

An opposition out of Gulen Community?

Noting that it’s an interesting analogy, I told Gulen community is not a political movement and its participants refer to their movement as “hizmet.” As our conversation moved on, I got the feeling that the correspondent regarded Gulen community as the most influential organized opposition movement against the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party).

Independent deputy says there may be an attempt to pin political murders on Gülen movement

İlhan İşbilen, an independent deputy for İzmir, has said some sections of society are part of a “dirty scenario” that aims to make sure the Gülen movement, a faith-based grassroots social initiative, is uttered in the same breath as extrajudicial political killings.

Erdogan Changes Tactics On Attempt To Shut Turkish Schools

President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has changed tactics in his efforts to make foreign governments close schools run by Hizmet Movement associates, otherwise called Turkish schools.

Turkey bans math textbooks due to questions including Gülen’s initials

Turkey’s paranoia over the Gülen movement has reached new heights with the government banning mathematics textbooks due to questions involving the initials of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

Erdoğan’s parallel bicycle gets rotten

SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI Because he believes that the lies about the so-called “parallel state” are a useful tool to cover up the corruption charges, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan keeps riding this parallel bicycle. He is aware that once he stops riding this bicycle, he will fall off and the corruption charges will be exposed to […]

Prosecutor says he was blocked from investigating new graft probe

After the [Turkish] government took a new graft probe from prosecutor Muammer Akkaş – a move that could further cast a shadow over the corruption investigation – he told media that the case was taken from him without any reasons being cited, effectively blocking him from doing his job. “All my colleagues and the public should know that I have been prevented from doing my duty,” the prosecutor said in a statement sent to media outlets on Thursday.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Prominent theologian says Turkey in crisis with international community

73-year-old says looking after grandchildren as daughter, son-in-law behind bars

Turkish entrepreneurs open eye hospital in Senegal

Three ministers resign as one urges PM to step down amid corruption probe

Countering Violent Extremism Symposium draws significant participation

The witch-hunt reaches Turkey’s media

Review of Dogan Koc’s Strategic Defamation of Fethullah Gulen: English vs. Turkish

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News