A 32-year-old Turkish man has been convicted of spying in Germany for Turkish intelligence on a Kurdish politician and activists.
The dpa news agency reported Tuesday that Mehmet Fatih S., was sentenced in Hamburg state court to two years' probation for spying for the Turkish intelligence service MİT. The suspect will have to pay court costs and a fine of 20,950 euros ($24,720) - the amount he received for his spying. The Turkish MİT agency allegedly paid the man 30,000 euros ($35,800) for his services.
The judge has reportedly stated that the reason for the sentence was that his efforts were not large-scale and didn’t pose a threat to the German state. The court has stated that the 2 to 6 years prison sentence demanded by the prosecution was excessive and issued Fatih S.’s release on condition of 2 years on probation.
German immigration authorities will determine whether he'll have to leave the country.
Fatih S. was arrested in December. He reportedly posed as a journalist to gain access to Kurdish politicians. He is said to have moved to the northern city of Bremen in January 2016 to get closer to Kurdish politician Yüksel Koç. There, he spoke to Koç's acquaintances and gathered information online to learn more details about his life, posing as a reporter for a Kurdish TV broadcaster.
