"German law protects all people living in Germany," says Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas. Germany will not tolerate foreign espionage on German soil. The Federal Public Prosecutor General has launched investigations into suspected secret service activity.
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"Should these very serious accusations against MIT be confirmed, let me say quite clearly, our laws also apply to the Turkish secret service," said Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday. "Our laws protect all people living in our country."
The Turkish secret service MIT is suspected of spying on supporters of the Gulenist movement in Germany. The Federal Public Prosecutor General has launched an investigation into suspicions that Turkish intelligence services have been spying on supporters of the Gulenist movement.
The Federal Justice Minister pointed out that espionage is a criminal offence. Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière commented earlier in the day in a similar vein. "It is a criminal offence to carry out espionage activities on German soil and we will not tolerate it."
Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel called for a thorough investigation of the suspected espionage on the part of the Turkish foreign intelligence service MIT. "If the accusations prove to be correct, this would indeed be very serious," he said.