The 2025 espionage network in Turkey refers to Turkish authorities discovering and dismantling an espionage network in November 2025. The network that was operating in Istanbul, and was linked to the United Arab Emirates gathering intelligence information about senior Turkish officials of the Ministry of Defense industry. They discovered following an investigation of Turkey's domestic intelligence along with counterintelligence agencies. Three suspects were arrested, while the fourth suspect is abroad and an international arrest warrant was issued.
The relations between Turkey and the UAE were unstable during the 2010s and the 2020s, as they had different political and influential goals in the region, as well as supporting opposite sides in Middle East conflicts. They established better relation after 2021, signing defense industry agreements in 2025, even though there was mutual distrust and accusations of secret intelligence activities.[1][2]
In 2019 and 2020, Turkey had arrested several people accused of espionage for the UAE, linked to Palestinian political groups and the monitoring of dissidents. A fact the helped establish the notion that both countries had an intelligence rivalry.[3][4]
Investigation and charges
On 25 November 2025, Turkish authorities announced the discovery and dismantlement of an espionage network operating from Istanbul. the investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in collaboration of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Counterterrorism Department (TEM), executed three coordinated raids arresting three suspects, as the fourth one was abroad and an international arrest warrant was issued for him, with help of the Interpol.[5][6][7]
The Turkish prosecutors and intelligence officials claim that the suspects included Turkish nationals and foreign operatives linked to the UAE intelligence services. Reports say they used a Turkish GSM phone line, transferred it to the UAE and combined it with fake profiles and covert communication channels to collect sensitive personal and professional information. The network used digital espionage and traditional intelligence methods, and were exposed due to extensive digital forensics and communications surveillance.[8][9]
The network targeted these people:
Executives in Turkey's defense industry companies, such as Baykar, Aselsan and TAI, that their technologies of the Bayraktar TB2 drone, attracted attention by Gulf states including the UAE
Individuals who had contact with foreign diplomats in Turkey
According to authorities, the information gathered by the network was transmitted to handlers connected to the United Arab Emirates. The three member were accused of spying by gathering information on people in high-security jobs. In the first hours officials stated the foreign country behind the network was the UAE, but the stopped abruptly, even though Turkish media still reported it was the UAE.[10][7]
Implication
The espionage episode took place at a time that Turkey and the UAE seemed to be getting closer and improving their relations.[1] It shows the ongoing mistrust and intelligence rivalry between Ankara and Abu Dhabi, despite growing economic and defense ties.[11][12]
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