Germany’s federal prosecutor general announced Friday that the investigation resulting from a raid on a Düsseldorf hotel that saw the arrest of a Turkish man identified as Ali D. was being treated as a case of suspected espionage on behalf of the Turkish state.
Federal Prosecutor General Peter Frank said Ali D. was under investigation on suspicion of collecting information on supporters of the Gulen movement in the Cologne area.
Counterintelligence cases fall under the purview of the federal prosecutor general in Germany.
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On September 17, an employee of the niu Tab hotel in Düsseldorf discovered that a guest had a weapon. Special police forces searched the hotel for hours as surrounding streets were cordoned off.
Police investigators then found a pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition on Ali D., along with documents containing the names of supporters of the Gulen movement. Authorities said that people who might have been in danger due to their presence on the lists of supporters contained in the documents had been notified.
Read more: DW