ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish intelligence has arrested a man suspected of spying on Arab dissidents in Turkey on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, a senior Turkish government official said Friday.
The suspect, who has not been identified, allegedly infiltrated expatriate Arab dissident and journalist groups in Turkey, the official told The Associated Press. He traveled to Turkey using the passport of an Arab country other than that of the UAE.
The man allegedly confessed to spying on Arab nationals and provided a trove of documents proving his affiliation with the UAEs intelligence service, the official said.
The official provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish government protocol.
The arrest comes amid troubled relations between Ankara and Abu Dhabi. In August, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with the Gulf state after it announced it was establishing ties with Israel.
Last year, Turkey arrested two other people on charges of spying on behalf of the UAE — which is Saudi Arabias closest Arab ally — including one who had allegedly arrived in Turkey shortly after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his countrys consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Authorities said at the time that they were investigating the possibility that the men could have been involved in his killing.
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