The trial against the 32-year-old suspect Mehmet Fatih S. opened on Thursday in Hamburg and will last at least until the middle of October, according to the court. His full name has been withheld in accordance with German law.

German prosecutors say that the Turkish man has worked for the Turkish intelligence service since 2013. Between September 2015 and his arrest in December 2016, his mission was allegedly to spy on the Kurdish community in Germany, focusing on Kurds based in Bremen.

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The Turkish MIT agency allegedly paid the man 30,000 euros ($35,800) for his services. Mehmet Fatih S. is said to have moved to the northern city of Bremen in January 2016 to get closer to Kurdish politician Yuksel Koc. There, he spoke to Koc's acquaintances and gathered information online to learn more details about his life, posing as a reporter for a Kurdish TV broadcaster.

Yuksel Koc 'always a target'

At the time, Koc was the chairman of the Federation of Kurdish Associations in Germany. Mehmet Fatih S. used his cover as a reporter to conduct three interviews with Koc. Koc said that the man was informing on his "every move" in an interview conducted by DW. He also reported receiving death threats via text messages, including one that said "You will always be a target for us, until you are dead."

Koc has since become deputy head of a Europe-wide Kurdish organization.

According to Germany's public broadcasters NDR and WDR, the scheme was discovered when a woman from a "close personal circle" of the alleged spy decided to speak up. She reportedly addressed a Kurdish newspaper, providing documents, photos and logs connected to the case.

She later provided German authorities with the same information. The records indicate an assassination conspiracy that allegedly involves two other Turkish agents. The woman is now under police protection.

Mehmet Fatih S. allegedly kept in touch with his handlers in Turkey via email and also traveled there twice in 2016. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

Berlin and Ankara have been clashing diplomatically in recent years, with tensions escalating rapidly after the failed coup in Turkey last summer. Turkey has accused several German citizens of spying for Germany or Kurdish armed groups on Turkey's soil. In March 2017, Germany's domestic intelligence agency BfV reported a "significant increase in intelligence efforts by Turkey in Germany."

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice One year after the coup attempt On Saturday, Turks observed the anniversary of last year’s failed coup, commemorating the nearly 250 people who lost their lives during the event and celebrating the perseverance of the nation. The largest crowds gathered at Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and in central Ankara, pictured above, where demonstrators marched to Turkey’s parliament to attend a speech by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Disparate views in post-coup Turkey Among the crowds, were many who personally confronted the military on the night of the coup and had made personal sacrifices to defend the democratically elected government. In contrast, opponents of President Erdogan mostly stayed home, viewing the ongoing purges and Turkey’s extended state of emergency as affronts to the nation’s democratic principles that have undermined the rule of law.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Our Democracy Watch Continues” A banner in Ankara reads “Our Democracy Watch Continues,” in reference to democracy watch rallies that took place nightly during the month following the coup attempt. One year on, some Erdogan supporters believe followers of Fethullah Gulen, who the government blames for organizing the putsch, are still working in state offices and may be plotting a second coup attempt.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Support for ongoing purges Sahibe, 45, a store clerk not pictured above, spoke in favor of the ongoing purges, which have laid off more than 150,000 people over the last year and jailed about 50,000. She said innocent citizens had nothing to worry about and that she hopes “the state of emergency continues until we cleanse the roots Gulenists have made in our country.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice Extended state of emergency Yet not all attendees at Saturday’s rallies supported the year-old state of emergency. “I am anxious about the current situation because it gives soldiers the authority to do anything they want,” said Ahmed, who did not give a surname. “If there was a referendum on extending the state of emergency, I think the majority of people would vote against it.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Stay strong, the people are with you” A pro-government demonstrator holds a flag featuring Erdogan with the words: “Stay strong, the people are with you.” Reflecting on Erdogan’s leadership, a taxi driver near the rally said, “May god protect us if this man is re-elected in 2019. He’ll bring sharia law to Turkey, which is no problem for men, but it will make life miserable for women.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “We have lost many rights “ Those who didn’t support the rallies kept their distance, such as Seyma Urper, a human rights lawyer working in the southeastern city of Sirnak. "Since the coup attempt, most employees in my municipality were dismissed and the mayor was replaced with a state-appointed trustee," Urper said. "We have lost many rights and it’s getting harder to do my job."

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Our country is stronger than ever” Erol Kanmaz, not pictured above, said his son was shot in the leg on the night of the coup attempt and spent the subsequent six months in the hospital to undergo four surgeries. “I came out tonight to protect my homeland,” Kanmaz said. “Those Gulenist traitors tried to infiltrate our military, but now our country is stronger than ever.”

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “Tell us to die, we will die” Sureyya Kalayci (left) displays a homemade t-shirt stating: “A call is enough. Call us and we’ll come. Tell us to die, we will die.” On 15 July 2016, Kalayci and his son Ahmet (right), blocked military vehicles in Ankara’s streets, helping to foil the attempted coup. “If it wasn’t for the people, the military would’ve taken over our country,” Kalayci said.

Turks mark coup anniversary with disparate view of justice, sacrifice “We are the grandchildren of the Ottomans” A demonstrator holds up a scarf reading: “We are the grandchildren of the Ottomans.” Many people in the crowds on Saturday night expressed support for President Erdogan’s policies and believed he was the only leader that could restore Turkey’s stance as an international power, which was tarnished with the fall of the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago. Author: Diego Cupolo



dj/ng (AFP, dpa)