An officer of the court stands in a courtroom ahead of the trial of Mehmet S., far left, an alleged Turkish spy facing espionage charges, in Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 7, 2017. The 32-year-old Turkish national is accused of having spied in Germany on behalf of the Turkish secret service MIT. (Christian Charisius/Pool Photo via AP)
September 07, 2017 - 2:50 AM
BERLIN - A 32-year-old man has gone on trial in the northern German city of Hamburg accused of spying for Turkish intelligence on a Kurdish politician and activists.
The dpa news agency reported Thursday that Turkish national Mehmet Fatih S. is accused of spying for the Turkish intelligence service MIT in Germany.
The suspect, whose last name wasn't given in line with privacy laws, was arrested in December.
Prosecutors allege he started working worked for Turkish intelligence in 2013 and was tasked in September 2015 at the latest with snooping on Kurds in Germany.
Among other things, he's alleged to have focused on a German-based politician who at the time headed a Kurdish group in Germany and now is part of the leadership of a Brussels-based Kurdish umbrella group.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017