A Greek national of Syrian origin who was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for the crime of "committing criminal and military espionage" on behalf of Greece was revealed to have gathered intelligence about measures implemented on Türkiye’s Syrian border and the Port of Mersin.
Defendant Muhammad Amar Ampara, a citizen of both Greece and Syria, traveled to Syria through illegal means and formed contact with a smuggler codenamed "Abu Ahmad," the Second High Criminal Court in Türkiye’s southeastern Gaziantep said on Thursday in its detailed ruling.
The court cited records of text messages between the defendant and members of the National Intelligence Agency of Greece (EYP).
Upon requests of Greek intelligence officials, Ampara collected information about the Port of Mersin, one of the largest harbors in Türkiye that acts as its main gateway to the Mediterranean, as well as persons linked to the terrorist organization Daesh and the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), the court’s ruling highlighted.
"It was understood that there is no suspicion the defendant was in contact with and under the direction of the Greek intelligence service and providing information under the orders of the Greek intelligence service," the ruling read.
The court concluded that "the actions and activities of the defendant constitute the crime of ‘obtaining state information that should remain confidential for the purpose of political or military espionage.’"
Ampara was caught on June 25 and arrested on June 26 by the Gaziantep Directorate of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) for spying on behalf of EYP.
It was determined that he presented himself as a businessperson during his travels to Türkiye and engaged in espionage under the guise of trade. He also compiled intelligence about the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) elements on the Syrian border and conducted research on Syrians in Türkiye and businesspeople in Greece who support FETÖ, all in line with the EYP’s instructions.
FETÖ orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Türkiye where 251 people were killed and 2,734 were injured.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over several issues, including competing claims to jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Türkiye, a vital NATO member for over 70 years, has complained of repeated provocative actions and rhetoric by Greece in the region in recent months, including arming islands near Turkish shores that are demilitarized under treaties, saying that such moves frustrate its good faith efforts for peace.
Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the East Aegean and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.
Despite saying that it has no intention of entering an arms race with its neighbor and NATO ally Türkiye, Greece also continues to carry out an ambitious rearmament program for its armed forces. Greece's burgeoning arms program is designed to counter the protection of Turkish interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye has often warned Greece against indulging in an arms race, offering to resolve all outstanding issues, including in the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and the island of Cyprus, through dialogue.