Everything about the Osmanen Germania says “biker gang”. They dress like extras from the US biker series Sons of Anarchy. They roam in packs like biker gangs. They tote guns and glorify violence in slick music videos.

Yet despite the look, the 2,500-strong Turkish-German organisation denies the accusations. It says it is focused on “community service”, while pushing a specific political view – that of Turkey’s ruling AKP party, and an admiration for the Ottoman Empire. And anyway, they don’t ride bikes.

Turkish authorities support the actions of the Osmanen Germania and view them as counter-terrorism activities

– Herbert Reul, regional interior minister

But German officials say they their actions now exceed mere admiration of the AKP. They say the group has been co-opted by Turkish intelligence and is being used to intimidate and target the Turkish government’s opponents in Germany.

Herbert Reul, the interior minister for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on 18 October submitted a report to the state parliament, alleging the Osmanen Germania was being used by Turkish MIT security services as a counter-terrorism unit in Germany.

Read the whole story from Middle East Eye.

Featured image courtesy of YouTube