Turkey’s arrest of US consulate staff ramps up tensions between Nato allies

[Disir]

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The arrest of a local staff member at the US consulate in Istanbul on charges of espionage and attempting to topple Turkey’s constitutional order on Wednesday has raised fears that the frayed relationship between the two Nato allies could worsen, with the US embassy saying on Thursday that such “baseless charges” undermined ties.

A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Metin Topuz, who worked at the communications department of the US consulate in Istanbul.

Topuz is being charged on three counts.

The charges include: an attempt to topple the constitutional order, obtaining secret documents for political or military espionage which could adversely impact national security and national interests, and attempting to topple the government.

The charges are related to incidents that occurred on 17 and 25 December 2013, and which the government has since called a judicial coup attempt.

On those dates police and prosecutors launched a series of corruption-related raids at the homes and offices of top government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close circle.
Turkey’s arrest of US consulate staff ramps up tensions between Nato allies

The Gulen fiasco is not going away.

 

[Lewdog]

Ask him about how shady the Turkish government is.

 

[Disir]

I am not an Erdogan fan. At all. I didn't like him as Prime Minister and I don't like him as President. That said, Enos Kanter supports Gulen. Erdogan believes Gulen was behind the coup. Kanter didn't give a hot damn about the danger he put his family in when he started popping off on that video.

 

[LuckyDuck]

ISTANBUL, Turkey – The arrest of a local staff member at the US consulate in Istanbul on charges of espionage and attempting to topple Turkey’s constitutional order on Wednesday has raised fears that the frayed relationship between the two Nato allies could worsen, with the US embassy saying on Thursday that such “baseless charges” undermined ties.

A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the arrest of Metin Topuz, who worked at the communications department of the US consulate in Istanbul.

Topuz is being charged on three counts.

The charges include: an attempt to topple the constitutional order, obtaining secret documents for political or military espionage which could adversely impact national security and national interests, and attempting to topple the government.

The charges are related to incidents that occurred on 17 and 25 December 2013, and which the government has since called a judicial coup attempt.

On those dates police and prosecutors launched a series of corruption-related raids at the homes and offices of top government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close circle.
Turkey’s arrest of US consulate staff ramps up tensions between Nato allies

The Gulen fiasco is not going away.

If I were president, I would order all consulate staff home, close the embassy's and arrest ALL consulate staff in the Turkish Embassy's in the US, then offer a trade, or keep tem jailed until Metin Topuz, is released. What's good for one is good for the other.