Overview
- Turkey’s intelligence service and Istanbul police detained six suspects in raids across five provinces, and a court ordered their arrest on political and military espionage charges.
- Five of the detainees are Turkish nationals and one is Iranian, with state and pro-government media saying the group conducted reconnaissance around the NATO-run Incirlik base in Adana.
- Turkish reports identify two alleged IRGC handlers, codenamed “Haji” and “Doctor,” accused of directing recruitment to photograph and film sensitive sites.
- Investigators allege some suspects received specialized drone training in Iran in 2025, attempted to ship armed UAVs to Cyprus via companies tied to the Iranian suspect, and used an encrypted system called “Pigeon.”
- One suspect testified he was offered money to assassinate Iranian dissidents, while there has been no confirmation from U.S. or Iranian officials; Iran’s foreign minister is scheduled to visit Ankara on Friday as U.S. forces bolster regional deployments.