Report: 16 on trial in Turkey charged with spying for Israel

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish media say 16 people have gone on trial in Istanbul, charged with “political and military” espionage on behalf of Israel. The defendants, including Palestinians and Syrians, were arrested in October in an operation by Turkey’s national intelligence agency, MIT, according to the pro-government Sabah newspaper and other Turkish media. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The Sabah newspaper says the suspects allegedly spied on Palestinian and Turkish students and other people on behalf of Israel, operating in five separate groups. The trial opened on Tuesday.