Acting on intelligence provided by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Turkish police detained six people accused of espionage for the Chinese intelligence service on Tuesday.

The suspects reportedly collected information about people from China’s Xinjiang, home to the ethnic Uyghur community and associations they are members of. Authorities are still searching for one suspect at large.

Xinjiang is a northwestern province of China, which is home to the ethnic Uyghur community, who are mostly Muslims. China has faced criticism over the alleged maltreatment of Uyghurs, but Beijing has rejected such allegations. Türkiye is home to a large Uyghur community and defends Uyghur rights in the international arena, something "that disturbs China," according to Turkish authorities.