Fresh raids in probe on army spying

ANKARA

Dozens have been arrested in raids conducted as part of espionage probe. AA Photo

Police and specially authorized prosecutors raided several homes and military buildings across the country yesterday as part of an ongoing probe into an alleged espionage ring.

The searches were conducted simultaneously in 16 provinces across Turkey, security sources said, adding that there were detention orders for 51 suspects.

The locations searched included secure military buildings, including the General Command of the Turkish Gendarmerie Forces, the Navy, the Special Forces Command top secret room and the Military Hospital (GATA) in Ankara.

The latest raids were part of an investigation launched in İzmir last month into allegations that secret military documents were acquired through blackmail. According to the probe, nine active-duty members of the military allegedly used a prostitution ring to blackmail high-ranking officers and obtain confidential information about the Turkish military.

The members of the prostitution ring allegedly recorded secret footage of high-ranking officers as they had sexual intercourse with escorts and later used the footage to blackmail them. The active-duty soldiers police arrested had been blackmailed themselves and later participated in ensnaring their colleagues. They also allegedly profited financially from the ring’s activities.

Forty-five people, 13 of whom are active-duty soldiers, were arrested in the ongoing investigation following police raids last month.