The Dutch diplomat outed as a spy in Turkish newspapers has been brought back to the Netherlands for his own safety, broadcaster NOS said on Tuesday.

According to Turkish papers, the man had been researching links between the Turkish government and terror group IS and said to have paid for information about the Turkish military operations in Afrin in Syria.

The Dutch foreign affairs ministry said the man was attached to the Dutch consulate in Istanbul and was tasked with ‘regional operations’ but declined to give further details, NOS reported.

Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah claims the man, with the initials A Z, worked for the Dutch military secret service MIVD and had been tracked by the authorities in Ankara for some time.

The Netherlands does not have an ambassador in Turkey since relations between the two countries cooled last year.</s>The Netherlands has pulled one if its diplomats out of Turkey on Monday after Turkish media reported that the consulate employee was exposed during spying activities.

The Dutch foreign ministry said the diplomat, who worked at the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, left Turkey out of concerns for his safety.

"For his own safety - due to the publicity - the official in question left Turkey on Monday. He worked at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul, and was also responsible for regional activities," the ministry said in a statement.

A Turkish official told Al Jazeera that the diplomat was exposed by the Turkish intelligence agency, MIT, while he was engaged in intelligence activities.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that the diplomat was working to gather information on Turkey's military operation in the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin.

"The Turkish authorities did not make a diplomatic move to deport the Dutch diplomat after the evidence was gathered and allowed him to leave the country," he said.

Several private Turkish media networks have been running footage, allegedly showing the diplomat during meetings with sources in Istanbul.

Al Jazeera contacted the Dutch authorities for comment but did not get a reaction on the spying claims at the time of publication.

Turkish forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters started the military operation into Afrin in late January to remove a US-backed Kurdish militia - known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) - near its border. Ankara describes the armed group as "terrorists".

Relations between Ankara and the Netherlands have been tense in recent months.

Turkey slammed the Dutch parliament's vote to recognise the World War I killings of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as "genocide" last month.

Relations hit another low in March 2017 when the Netherlands, among other European countries, banned Turkish ministers from addressing immigrants and expatriates in rallies within its borders for a referendum that later changed Turkey's parliamentary system to an executive presidency.

Dutch authorities actively intervened to prevent a Turkish minister from reaching a consulate in the country to address Turks living there, leading to a diplomatic crisis.</s>The media outlet stated, citing the Dutch Foreign Ministry, that the diplomat was attached to the consulate in Istanbul and was engaged in regional operations.

On Monday, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported that a man working for Dutch military intelligence was arrested. According to the report, the man in question had arrived in Turkey with a diplomatic passport and was tasked with spreading false information about Turkish support of the Daesh* terrorist group. The publication said that the alleged spy had been monitored for some time before the arrest that took place on Monday.

READ MORE: Netherlands Withdraws Ambassador From Turkey Amid Failure to Normalize Ties

Dutch-Turkish relations have been worsening since Amsterdam refused entry to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, who were on their way to participate in Turkish rallies to promote Ankara's constitutional referendum, last year.

The partnership has also been strained by Amsterdam's recognition of the Armenian genocide.

In February, the Netherlands decided to formally withdraw its ambassador from Ankara.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia</s>The Dutch Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that a diplomat working in the Istanbul consulate has been pulled out of the country amid accusations that he engaged in spying activities in Turkey.

Turkish media outlets reported Sunday that an investigation had been launched into an alleged Dutch spy who security forces arrested Monday while carrying out intelligence operations in Turkey.

The Dutch ministry stated that the diplomat left Turkey on security concerns.

The diplomat in question, identified as A.Z., reportedly was working for Dutch military intelligence and has long been monitored by Ankara, the Sabah daily reported. A.Z. is reported to have entered Turkey on a diplomatic passport, allegedly tasked with forging documents and spreading false information on Turkey's support for Daesh.

According to the article, the alleged spy served in Afghanistan and participated in meetings held by opposition groups in Turkey, introducing himself as an employee of the Dutch Defense Ministry. A Haber television reported that an investigation has been launched into the suspect.

Quoting an unidentified Turkish official, Al Jazeera reported that the diplomat was exposed by Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MİT) while working to gather information about Operation Olive Branch against PKK-linked People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists in northwestern Syria's Afrin. The official added that he was allowed to leave the country after enough evidence had been collected.

Relations between Turkey and the Netherlands soured prior to the Dutch general elections on March 14, 2017.

The Netherlands declined a landing permit to a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who was scheduled to speak at a meeting in Rotterdam ahead of the Turkish constitutional reform referendum on April 16, 2017. The authorities also barred Family Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam. She was forced to remain in her vehicle for hours before being deported to Germany.

The incidents drew severe criticism from Ankara, and the Foreign Ministry asked the off-duty Dutch ambassador in Ankara, who was on leave, not to return "for a while." Nearly a year later, the Dutch Foreign Ministry on Monday said it had formally withdrawn its ambassador to Turkey.

In February, the Dutch parliament voted to recognize the 1915 events in World War I – large scale atrocities between Ottoman and Russian troops, and between their allied Kurdish and Armenian militia – as genocide.</s>A representative of intelligence services of the Netherlands has been detained in Turkey, the Turkish media reports citing sources in the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey (MIT).

Earlier, the detainee also took part in the organization of a number of protest rallies in Turkey, directed against the Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin.</s>Turkish media reported that an investigation has been launched into an alleged Dutch spy who security forces arrested Monday while carrying out intelligence operations in Turkey.

The suspect, A.Z., reportedly was working for Dutch military intelligence and has long been monitored by Ankara, the Sabah daily reported. A.Z. is reported to have entered Turkey on a diplomatic passport allegedly tasked with forging documents and spreading false information on Turkey's support for Daesh.

According to the article, the alleged spy served in Afghanistan and participated in meetings held by opposition groups in Turkey, introduced himself as an employee of the Dutch Defense Ministry. A Haber television reported that an investigation has been launched into the suspect.

Relations between Turkey and the Netherlands soured prior to the Dutch general elections on March 14, 2017.

The Netherlands declined a landing permit to a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who was scheduled to speak at a meeting in Rotterdam. The authorities also barred Family Minister, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam. She was forced to remain in her vehicle for hours before being deported to Germany.

The incidents drew severe criticism from Ankara and the Foreign Ministry asked the off-duty Dutch ambassador in Ankara, who was on leave, not to return "for a while." Nearly a year later, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said it had formally withdrawn its ambassador to Turkey.
The government of the Netherlands recalls a diplomat from Turkey after local newspapers accused him of spying.