Turkish spy claims he was ordered to assassinate female Austrian politician of Kurdish heritage
- Feyyaz Öztürk turned himself in to Austria police claiming assassination plans
- Says Turkish intelligence service blackmailed him to assassinate Berivan Aslan
- Suggested two other attacks were planned on prominent political figures
- Sparked fears that Turkey will carry out attacks in Europe in order to silence critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
A Turkish spy claimed he was ordered to assassinate a prominent female Austrian politician of Kurdish heritage.
Feyyaz Öztürk stated the Turkish intelligence service blackmailed him to assassinate Vienna MP Berivan Aslan.
Italian citizen Öztürk, who has Turkish heritage, is under arrest in Austria after he turned himself in to police.
Since Öztürk made the claims, Aslan has been placed under police protection and is unable to leave her home without a bullet-proof vest.
A police report, leaked in the Austrian media and obtained by the Daily Telegraph, details Öztürk’s claims.
Turkish spy Feyyaz Öztürk told police in Austria that he was blackmailed by the Turkish intelligence service to assassinate Vienna MP Berivan Aslan (pictured)
He suggested he was ordered to ‘spread chaos’ and that other attacks had been planned on two other politicians – one being Peter Pilz, the founder of the opposition Now party.
Öztürk suggested the aim of the operation was to ensure Aslan and other politicians ‘get the message’ as opposed to ensuring she was hurt or died.
He claims Aslan was to be assassinated in March but it never went ahead because he broke his leg in an accident while in Rimini, Italy.
Aslan said she had received death threats before. She told The Telegraph: ‘The dimension of violence has changed.
‘I am massively restricted in my freedom, every time I have an appointment away from home I think twice whether I need to go.
‘This feels like house arrest.’
Öztürk’s claims have sparked concern that Turkey may be willing to carry out assassinations in Europe to cease criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The Turkish spy’s lawyer, Daniel Mozga, confirmed the man is charged with spying for a foreign state and that he handed himself in to police but declined to comment on the investigation.
The latest claims have sparked concern as to the lengths Turkey will go to to cease criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Öztürk had tried to hand himself in at a police station in Graz, Austria, in April but was turned away due to coronavirus rules.
The station gave him a phone number for the counterterrorism office in Vienna and his case was left open until September.
Turkey denies Öztürk’s claims and suggests he has no links to the state.
The Turkish spy also claims he was ordered to ‘carry out attacks on two other politicians – one being Peter Pilz, the founder of the opposition Now party (pictured)
Relations between Austria and Turkey have been fraught in recent weeks as demonstrations from both Turkish and Kurdish groups have taken place across Vienna – with one resulting in violent clashes between the two groups.
The incident sparked days of riots in the capital and investigations revealed a Turkish spy had a hand in the furore.
The latest revelation has raised concerns that Turkey may be willing to carry out assassinations in Europe.
Suggestions to target Pilz, a vocal critic of Erdogan with no Turkish or Kurdish background, have sparked more fears as previous plans for intervention were limited to exiled and immigrant communities.
Pilz said he too was offered police protection but the proposition was later revoked.
In the list Öztürk’s claims, he also suggests he was made to give a false testimony against a member of staff at the US consulate-general in Istanbul in 2017 – with Metin Topuz eventually being sentenced to more than 8 years in priso for aiding an armed terror group.