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Some five years ago, he offered his resignation from the military but Iranian authorities, increasingly involved in the war in Syria, slapped a ban on him and other pilots from leaving the military, and took away their passports to keep them from travelling. Iranian former military helicopter pilot Mehrdad Abdarbashi Kidnapping plotĪbdarbashi told Al Jazeera he served as a captain piloting attack helicopters in the Iranian military. The ease of travel draws not only those looking to shop or find a good job, but now also appears to make it easy for Iranian intelligence to keep an eye on dissidents in Turkey. Millions of Iranians visit each year, and at least 150,000 hold residence permits in the country, according to Turkey’s Directorate General of Migration Management.
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Turkey is one of the few countries that Iranians can enter without a visa. Turkey is not the only country where Iranian dissidents have been targeted – in recent years critics have been allegedly picked up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iraq, and in July four alleged Iranian agents were charged in the US for allegedly trying to kidnap a New York-based journalist critical of Tehran.īut Abdarbashi’s case highlights a growing dilemma for Iranians in a country that often serves as an initial safe refuge. Iran has denied it had anything to do with Vardanjani’s killing. In February, Turkish authorities said they arrested an Iranian working at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul for the 2019 fatal shooting of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani, a vocal dissident of Tehran living in Turkey. Less than 24 hours later, Turkish officials said, he was bundled into a van and driven nearly 2,000km east to the Iranian border, to appear in a televised confession on Iranian television days later. Last October, Habib Chaab, who headed the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz, a separatist group Tehran accuses of attacks inside Iran, travelled from his home in exile in Sweden to Istanbul to meet an Iranian woman. It is not the first time Iranian dissidents have been targeted by Tehran inside Turkey. The suspects appeared in a court in Van on October 4 to face charges of espionage and conspiracy to commit a crime. Holed up in an undisclosed location in eastern Turkey, the former Iranian military helicopter pilot said he was going to great lengths to keep a low profile, never leaving home, and ordering all he needs online.Īccording to official Turkish state media, Turkish police and intelligence detained eight people, including two described as Iranian “agents”, on September 24 as they attempted to kidnap Abdarbashi. “I think Iranian intelligence will come after me, and this time they won’t try to kidnap me, this time they will just kill me.” “I don’t think I am safe in any city in Turkey right now,” he told Al Jazeera. If you suspect you are bugged, please visit our bug sweep services page for more information.Istanbul, Turkey – Nearly a month since he says a team of Iranian intelligence agents tried to drug him and take him back to Iran, Mehrdad Abdarbashi said he was thankful to Turkish authorities for saving his life but worried he is still not safe. Instead, the guide provides a general overview of the spy gadgets and spy gear currently used. Our spy gadgets guide does not include every type of spying gadget. And, it is now easier, less costly and less risky for a spy to capture your info than ever before. Also, spying technology continues to evolve and spying devices are readily available. The manufacture and sale of spy gadgets is a multibillion dollar industry, and it continues to grow. Technology makes it easier than ever for a spy to access your information. Surprisingly, a spy does not need to plant a bugging device to access your information. Computers and cell phones can also be used as surveillance devices. This means the risk that a spy will be caught trying to retrieve the information or replace a battery is minimized since the eavesdropper does not have to reenter the area under surveillance to receive your valuable, private or confidential info.Įavesdroppers can also access your WiFi network, computer cameras and Internet of Things (IoT) devices remotely. And, they can also be activated remotely. These devices can capture audio, video and/or data. And, these spying devices often use Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or the cellular network to push information to the eavesdropper. Spying devices have evolved as technology has evolved and have become smaller in size. Spy gadgets can be complex or very simple they may also be very expensive or cost less than $20. These devices are designed to collect information that can compromise your privacy. Spy Gadgets Voice Recorder | Spy Camera | Spy Gear
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