United Arab Emirates: Suspected spy ‘kills himself in Turkish prison’

One of two men detained two weeks ago by Turkey on suspicion of spying for the United Arab Emirates has killed himself in prison, prosecutors say. The suspect, identified as Zaki Hasan, was found hanged in his cell in Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, on Sunday. He allegedly confessed during interrogation that he and the […]

One of two men detained two weeks ago by Turkey on suspicion of spying for the United Arab Emirates has killed himself in prison, prosecutors say.

The suspect, identified as Zaki Hasan, was found hanged in his cell in Silivri prison, west of Istanbul, on Sunday.

He allegedly confessed during interrogation that he and the other suspect had spied on Arab dissidents.

Turkish officials said they were also probing possible links to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi – a prominent US-based critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – was killed by Saudi agents when he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October.

A UN special rapporteur has said he was “the victim of a brutal and premeditated killing, planned and perpetrated by officials of the state of Saudi Arabia”, but the Saudi government has insisted it was a “rogue operation”.

The UAE is Saudi Arabia’s closest Arab ally, but there has been no evidence to suggest that it was involved in Khashoggi’s death.