A court in Istanbul sent to prison four Iranian nationals on charges of “political and military espionage, local media reported on Friday.
The suspects were separately accused of “migrant smuggling” and “forgery of official documents” after several fake passports and identity cards were found in a police raid at their Istanbul address, the report said.
It added that one of the suspects illegally entered Turkey.
According to the report, police also found bugging devices and concealed cameras.
It was not immediately clear what the suspects’ motive was.
Turkey is a key route for people smugglers into Europe from countries such as Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
People thought to be Iranians had recently intensified smuggling and spying efforts in Turkey, the report added.
A court in the southern city of Van, along the Iranian border, earlier this year sought up to 30 years in jail for 11 suspects.
“They were accused of attempting to kidnap a defector from the Iranian army.’’ (dpa/NAN)