Countrymen spied on – Suspected Turkish spies arrested in Tyrol

Two of the three suspects were subsequently transferred to Innsbruck prison, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday. The Cobra special task force was also involved in the arrests. After questioning and a detention check, the suspects were generally reported. Requests for pre-trial detention were rejected, but an appeal has since been lodged, a spokeswoman for the Innsbruck prosecutor’s office said. No decision has yet been made on this.

Data carriers, mobile phones and blank pistols seized
In any case, numerous data carriers, mobile telephones and alarm pistols were seized during searches at the residential addresses of the suspect. In particular, the facts of the “secret intelligence service to the detriment of Austria” are being investigated.

The accused’s alleged “modus operandi” corresponds to “a well-known procedure by foreign powers in monitoring or spying on opposition members and government opponents living abroad,” the ministry said.

Investigations since February
An investigation into the suspects was launched in February this year, according to the Ministry of the Interior. “The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence and the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Tyrol have made an important contribution to the protection of our basic democratic values ​​through meticulous, consistent and careful research,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.