Feyyaz O. surrendered himself to Austrian intelligence, claiming he had received an order from Turkish intelligence (MIT) in August to attack three politicians, including Berivan Aslan, a former Kurdish member of the Austrian parliament and current researcher at Vienna University, media outlet ZackZack reported on Wednesday.
Another one of the alleged targets is Peter Pilz, also a former MP and currently an editor at ZackZack. He reported being warned by Austrian authorities that he was named as a target by the man who gave himself up. ZackZack named the third target as politician Andreas Schieder.
Rudaw English reached out to Aslan but she was not available for comment. She is currently under police protection, according to media reports.
Austrian authorities are investigating the claims. Turkey’s ambassador to Austria, Ozan Ceyhun, said the allegations are “outrageous lies.”
“We ensure everyone that the Turkish-Austrian relations are not damaged by spreading outrageous lies,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Austria’s interior minister announced charges would be filed against a person who confessed to spying for Turkey’s secret service. “Turkish espionage has no place in Austria. There is no place for Turkish influence on liberty and fundamental rights in Austria. We will fight against it vehemently,” said Interior Minister Karl Nehammer.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy denied the espionage charges. “It is clear that anti-Turkey circles are behind these allegations,” read a statement from him.
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