Suspected UAE spy detained in Turkey commits suicide: State media

One of two men suspected of spying for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Turkey has committed suicide in prison, state media has said.

Turkey’s Haberturk news website first carried the report on Monday, with senior journalist Cetiner Cetin, who broke the story, saying the suspect hanged himself in Silivri prison on Sunday.

The suspect’s death was later confirmed by state-run Anadolu Agency.

According to a previous report by the Reuters news agency, citing a senior Turkish official, one of the two men arrived in Turkey in October 2018, days after Saudi journalist  Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

The other had arrived later to help his colleague with the workload, the unnamed official told Haberturk.

It is not clear if their arrival in Turkey was linked the Khashoggi case. 

Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed by Saudi operatives, provoking an international outcry.

The CIA and some Western countries believe the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, ordered the killing, an allegation Saudi officials deny.