Turkey detains six accused of spying for Iran including Incirlik reconnaissance

Turkish security forces arrested six people this week on suspicion of conducting political and military espionage for Iran, in an operation that investigators say included surveillance of NATO’s Incirlik air base in southern Turkey. The arrests, carried out in coordinated raids across five provinces, were announced by state-linked outlets and reported by international wire services citing Turkish investigators.

The detainees were brought before an Istanbul judge and ordered held in pretrial detention, and an Istanbul court later formally arrested all six on charges described by Turkish media as “obtaining confidential state information for political or military espionage.” Turkish authorities said the operation was led by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and counterterrorism police in a joint probe that targeted a cell allegedly gathering sensitive military and security data and preparing potential attack plans.

Domestic outlets Daily Sabah and Iranintl, citing investigative sources, named the six suspects as Ashkan Jalali, identified as an Iranian national based in Ankara; Alican Koç, a resident of Van; defense industry company owners Erhan Ergelen and Taner Özcan; and two businesspeople, Cemal Beyaz and Remzi Beyaz. Those reports say Jalali owned companies called Bulaq Robotics and Arete Industries and had planned transfers of armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration. The same accounts allege Jalali and Koç attended specialized drone training sessions in Iran in August and September 2025.

Anadolu Agency and state broadcaster TRT described the raids as simultaneous and spread across Istanbul, Ankara, Adana and other provinces. Multiple outlets said investigators uncovered evidence the suspects had monitored military facilities and “transmitted intelligence and logistical information” to Iranian intelligence operatives. The arrests prompted immediate international interest given Incirlik’s role hosting U.S. forces and NATO logistics assets.

Turkish reporting attributed the direction of the alleged network to named Iranian handlers, identified by investigators as Najaf Rostami, known as “Haji,” and Mahdi Yekeh Dehghan, referred to as “Doctor.” The Associated Press, citing Turkish sources, said the suspects are “believed to have been in contact with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard,” while other outlets portrayed the network as linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The arrests come amid rising regional tensions over the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran, a context Turkish officials have repeatedly warned could destabilize the region and produce refugee flows. Euronews, in its broader coverage of the diplomatic strain, quoted U.S. President Donald Trump saying “a massive armada is heading towards Iran, warning Tehran it should negotiate,” a remark included by that outlet to illustrate the heightened climate in which the arrests occurred.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian Embassy in Ankara, according to the AP. Turkish authorities have not publicly released full evidentiary details or court filings, and international partners including NATO and U.S. military authorities have not issued public responses to the specific allegations as of the reports.

The case is likely to complicate Ankara’s diplomatic balancing between Western security commitments and relations with Tehran. Investigators and prosecutors will need to disclose travel, communications and seizure records to substantiate claims about drone shipments, training in Iran and direct links to Iranian handlers. Until such material is made public in court, the allegations remain part of an active criminal investigation led by Turkish intelligence and police.