Turkey arrests 5 for espionage, alleged IRGC links

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Five people have been arrested in Turkey accused of links to Iranian intelligence and gathering information on Turkey’s military bases, state media reported on Friday.

The chief of Istanbul’s public prosecutor's office announced the arrests of the five accused of having links with the intelligence directorate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Anadolu Agency reported. 

The five allegedly gathered intelligence on Turkey’s military bases and critical locations both domestically and in regions under Turkish influence abroad, and shared this information with Iranian forces.

The operation, conducted by Istanbul’s public prosecutor in coordination with the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) across Istanbul, Antalya, and Mersin provinces, determined that the suspects were involved in "military and political espionage," according to the report. 

Iran and Turkey have been regional rivals in Syria. Tehran was a staunch supporter of the former regime while Ankara backed the rebels that are now in control.

In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described Iran’s policy of using proxy forces across the Middle East as “high-risk” and said that Tehran has had to make great sacrifices to preserve its regional influence.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned his remarks as “unrealistic analysis,” warning it could damage bilateral relations. 

Their foreign ministers met on Saturday in Saudi Arabia and Iran’s foreign ministry described the ties between their countries as “exceptional and based on mutual interests.”