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Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) recently dismantled a seven-member spy network in Istanbul accused of attempting to steal personal data by setting up fake base stations. The suspects were caught red-handed, and it was revealed that the devices originated from China and that the detained individuals were Chinese nationals.
According to CNN Turk’s Nihat Uludag, MIT had been monitoring seven Chinese spies who arrived from China and discovered that the suspects had smuggled “ghost” base stations into Türkiye. “With these ghost base stations, they placed Turkish public officials and Uyghur Turks in Türkiye under technical surveillance,” Uludag added.
Sharing details of the operation, Uludag stated: “Four individuals acted as special couriers for the spies sent from China. You’re smuggling ghost base station components into Türkiye — can you get them through customs? Of course not. The first courier only brings the antenna of the base station. On another flight, the second courier brings just the battery. A fourth courier brings a different component. Forget Mossad and Iranian spies — these people were conducting surveillance just like a security agency would.”
The Chinese suspects were reported to be active in five Turkish cities: Istanbul, Izmir, Manisa, Balikesir and Bursa.
According to CNN Turk, the names of the seven detained Chinese nationals are Zhenhua Liu, Wu Zhiyong, Wu Renjun, Xiongqiang Xiao, Zuowei Qiu, Ma Xiuping and Deyuan Zou.
MIT apprehended the foreign nationals while they were installing fake base stations in Istanbul as part of a cyber-espionage operation. The suspects were later arrested by court order.
MIT had launched a technical investigation following numerous complaints from GSM operator subscribers who reported receiving fake SMS messages. Analyzing the messages, which appeared to be sent from government agencies or corporate entities, MIT concluded that the attack was conducted using fake base stations.
Turkish intelligence identified seven suspects, organized into three groups under the command of a figure known as "Patron." The perpetrators reportedly funneled intercepted communication data and user information to a China-based server. The data was then used in targeted phishing attacks via a foreign application, leading some users to share credit card details and make unauthorized payments.
The investigation revealed that the fake base stations were built using devices identified as being of Chinese origin.
The fake base station devices and digital materials seized during the operation were taken in for forensic analysis, and the investigation into the suspects' broader connections is ongoing.
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