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Turkish Spy Networks Raise Europe's Concern

Turkish Spy Networks Raise Europe's Concern
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Turkish Spy Networks Raise Europe's Concern

Turkish Spy Networks Raise Europe's Concern

Ankara’s problems with the countries of the European Union are mounting.

The EU will hold this week a summit to discuss sanctions against Turkey, because of its continued military build-up and oil exploration off the Greek coast.

In addition to Ankara’s blackmail of Europe with the refugee crisis, its refusal to abide by its pledges at the Berlin conference on Libya, and its recent intervention in the escalation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, a new chapter has recently emerged, represented by Turkey’s intelligence operations in Europe, specifically in Austria and Germany, where there is a large Turkish community.

Adrian Hanni, an expert at the Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies, estimates the number of Turkish spies in Austria to be close to 200, noting that the Turkish spy network was the second largest in Austria and Germany, after the Russian network.

The intelligence expert explained that Ankara’s recruitment of agents takes place in two ways: either by luring them with money through Turkish diplomatic missions in Vienna or groups of mosques and religious organizations deployed in Austria, or through arrests.

He explained: “After arresting a person in Turkey, the Turkish security authorities make the detainee chose between facing imprisonment and carrying out spying operations on opponents.”

Hanni noted that Austria’s public move against Turkish intelligence was “a warning not to cross the red lines.” He added that Vienna “usually tolerates espionage operations as long as the matter is not related to its own security.”

Austria had pledged to take steps against Turkey after the arrest of a Turkish expert a few weeks ago, which it said had confessed to carrying out espionage operations for Ankara.

These espionage operations have caused the arrest of more than 35 Turkish citizens, who also hold Austrian citizenship, when they visited their relatives in Turkey. Upon their arrival at the airport, the Turkish authorities confronted them with pictures of them demonstrating against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Vienna at the end of June.

Security experts believe that the European country is investigating other cases of espionage led by Turkey on its soil.

In recent weeks, Austria arrested a Turkish spy in Vienna, and the Turkish opposition uncovered a plot that Turkish intelligence was preparing to carry out assassinations in Vienna targeting politicians who had uncovered a Turkish spy network in the country.

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France’s Mayotte Struggles to Recover as Cyclone Overwhelms Hospitals

This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
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France’s Mayotte Struggles to Recover as Cyclone Overwhelms Hospitals

This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings in the city of Mamoudzou, on the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, on December 21, 2024, after cyclone Chido hit the archipelago. (AFP)

One week after its worst cyclone in nearly a century, and a day after a testy presidential visit, France’s impoverished Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte is still grappling with counting the dead, restoring essential services and aiding a beleaguered population.

Cyclone Chido wreaked devastation across the archipelago. Already stretched thin, hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering not only from cyclone-related injuries but also from dehydration, malnutrition and disease.

At Mayotte’s main hospital in the capital, Mamoudzou, doctors faced a cascade of crises.

“We lost 40% of patient rooms, about 50 to 60 beds,” said Dr. Roger Serhal, chief of the obstetrics and gynecology department. “There are so many patients coming to the hospital, and we don’t have space to admit them.”

As Chido battered the archipelago last weekend with 220 kph (136 mph) winds, Serhal and his team delivered three babies, including by cesarean section.

The hospital’s structural damage has forced staff to triage patients, prioritizing the most severe cases. Though the official death toll remains 35, according to the French Interior Ministry on Saturday, the number of seriously injured has risen to 78, with 2,432 others sustaining minor injuries. Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq has warned that any estimates are likely major undercounts “compared to the scale of the disaster.”

Emergency aid was being delivered by air and sea. Since the cyclone, 31 tons of food and 108 tons of water have arrived, with an additional 1.6 million liters of water expected Monday aboard a container ship, according to the Interior Ministry.

The hospital is operating at 50% capacity, while 109 patients have been evacuated to mainland France for urgent care. Three advanced medical posts have been established on Grande-Terre, Mayotte’s main island, to address the surge in need.

The storm has devastated entire neighborhoods. Many people ignored warnings, thinking the storm wouldn’t be so extreme. Even worse, many migrants avoided shelters out of fear of deportation, authorities said, adding there could be hundreds or possibly thousands of fatalities.

Doctors fear that the lack of clean water and electricity — compounded by overcrowded living conditions — is setting the stage for a health crisis. “Patients are coming because their illnesses are untreated, there’s no water, and no electricity. We’re concerned about epidemics, like the cholera outbreak we stopped just months ago,” said Dr. Vincent Gilles, the hospital’s emergency medical director.

The hospital staff continues to work tirelessly, but resources are running dangerously low. “If we have rain it will be catastrophic,” Serhal said.

Among the patients struggling to recover is Saindou Mohamadi, 54, who fractured his arm and sprained his ankle during the storm that left his home completely destroyed.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Mohamadi expressed despair for his family. “My mother is sick, I’m sick, and my child is sick,” he said. “They need to eat, but I’m the one who takes care of the food, and now we have nothing.” With six children to support, Mohamadi is among countless residents left homeless and destitute.

“I’m not alone,” he said. “There are many of us who have lost everything — our houses, our food. I want the government to care about us, to give us food and a place to sleep.”

Mayotte, a densely populated archipelago of over 320,000 people, is also home to an estimated 100,000 migrants, many living in precarious conditions.

The poorest overseas region of France and, by extension, the European Union has long struggled with systemic neglect and underinvestment. Around 75% of its population lives in poverty, and the archipelago’s infrastructure was ill-equipped to withstand a disaster of this magnitude. Chido’s destruction has compounded these challenges, leaving many residents with little faith in the government’s ability to provide timely and adequate relief.

Efforts to deliver emergency aid, including airlifts of water and food, are underway, but the scale of the need is staggering. Mayotte’s airport remains closed to civilian flights due to damage, further complicating logistics.

French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit on Friday, acknowledged the gravity of the situation and pledged to rebuild but faced criticism from residents frustrated by the slow pace of aid.

Calling the archipelago “totally devastated,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau painted a bleak picture — with some 70% of the population gravely affected by the catastrophe, and many left homeless and vulnerable. For now, the island’s residents and its overstretched medical staff are left to confront the daunting aftermath of Chido, one day at a time.