On Friday, German federal prosecutors revealed they had charged a Turkish national for allegedly monitoring people connected to Fethullah Gulen, the exiled preacher and creator of a potent Islamic movement. Identified simply as Mehmet K. in line with German privacy rules, the suspect is accused of giving Turkish officials information regarding these people.
Prosecutors claim Mehmet K. shared information about those he thought were linked to Gulen's movement via anonymous letters to Turkey's police and intelligence agencies. Following charges of masterminding a failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, Gulen, who has established a broad influence in Turkey and abroad, has been living in the United States.
The indictment emphasizes continuous conflict between Germany and Turkey about Gulen's movement, which the government of Erdogan regards as a terrorist organization. The case also emphasizes the growing worries in Europe about foreign intelligence operations aiming at dissidents and alleged enemies of authoritarian governments.
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