Turkey Busts Chinese Spy Ring Targeting Uyghurs with Fake Cell Towers
By Uyghur News Network | May 21, 2025 | Ankara
Turkish authorities have arrested seven Chinese nationals accused of running a covert surveillance operation targeting Uyghur exiles and Turkish officials, according to Turkiye Today.
The suspects allegedly used IMSI-catchers—devices that mimic cell towers—to intercept phone data in cities including Istanbul and Izmir. Turkish intelligence says the group smuggled the equipment into the country in parts and relayed the data to handlers in China. The ringleader reportedly spent five years in Turkey building cover businesses.
Investigators believe the network aimed to monitor Uyghur activists, track their contacts in Turkey and China, and identify Turkish officials who supported them.
This is the most advanced Chinese spy ring uncovered on Turkish soil, according to officials. It follows a similar 2024 case in which seven Chinese citizens of Uyghur descent were arrested for allegedly spying on fellow Uyghurs under pressure from Chinese intelligence, who threatened their families in Xinjiang.
Rights groups say the incidents underscore Beijing’s efforts to extend its repression of Uyghurs beyond its borders, even in countries like Turkey that host large Uyghur communities.
