Edit Story Turkey: Israeli bird sparks fear of espionage - UK news

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A feeling of paranoia took possession of the Turks last week after a handful of farmers found a dead bird to which was attached a small metallic object on which it was written "Israel".

Intrigued and worried by their finding, the villagers, living in a village located near the city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, alerted the local authorities. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, a local official pointed out the bird's big nostrils which according to him indicated that a spying device had been implanted inside the bird by supposedly by Israeli intelligence services.

Despite assurances from local agricultural officials who after examination confirmed that the bird was not a threat, the authorities appealed to a counter-terrorism organization, which in turn seconded the local agricultural officials' conclusions.

The Israeli Society for the Protection of Nature said that the bird had been banded approximately four years ago in order to examine migration patterns of the European Bee Eater.

This is not the first time Israel is accused of spying on countries located in the Middle-East using animals. Two years ago, an Egyptian official claimed the Mossad may have been behind a surge in shark attacks in the Red Sea. Iran, in the past, claimed to have captured both spy squirrels and spy pigeons working for the Jewish state.

Photo: haberturk

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