Turkish daily Vatan reported that some 10 Turks employed at the United States air base in İncirlik, Adana, located in southern Turkey, are suspected of using fake diplomas to gain access to the base, prompting fears of espionage.
The case was first discovered when a contractor for maintenance work at the base, a busy hub for the international coalition forces fighting DAESH, detected following tip-offs that one of the technicians was using a fake high school diploma. The man, identified only as Y.Y., was questioned by authorities. He confessed that he obtained the diploma simply to get hired for the job and dismissed claims of espionage. Y.Y. is one of the 10 people at base who claim to have graduated from the same high school in the western city of Manisa. Authorities are now investigating whether the others were also hired for jobs at the base using forged diplomas.
Vatan reported that Turkish and U.S. authorities could not find any traces of espionage attempts so far or whether the technician and other staff who are suspected of having fake diplomas infiltrated the base's computer network or "critical" areas on the base.
