Turkey 'spied' on opponents in Germany

German prosecutors announced an investigation yesterday into claims that Turkish agents are spying on alleged followers of exiled preacher Fethullah Gulen in Germany.

The probe came as a German state minister accused Turkey of the "unacceptable" espionage against supporters of Gulen, blamed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a failed coup attempt last year.

The claims open a new front in the diplomatic row between Nato allies Germany and Turkey.

"It is clear that the Turkish secret service MIT is investigating people living in Germany," said Boris Pistorius, interior minister of the northern German state of Lower Saxony.