- Turkish police conducted a raid in Istanbul and detained seven people on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
- Interior Minister Ali Erikaya announced the arrests on social media, saying the suspects were arrested for data collection.
- The arrest was part of a joint operation with Turkey’s national intelligence agency to thwart espionage within Turkey’s borders.
Turkish police on Tuesday detained seven more people on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, authorities said. This is the latest in a series of such arrests in Turkey.
Interior Minister Ali Erikaya said the suspects were detained during simultaneous attacks in Istanbul. Social media Platform X, formerly Twitter. The raid was a joint operation with Turkey’s national intelligence agency.
Yelikaya said the detainees are suspected of collecting data on Turkish individuals and businesses and selling it to Israeli intelligence services. “We will never tolerate espionage within our borders.”
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It was not immediately known if any charges had been filed, and authorities provided no additional information.
People protesting in support of Palestinians in Gaza during a protest rally in Istanbul, Turkey, February 17, 2024. Turkish police on Tuesday detained seven more people on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, authorities said. This is the latest in a series of such arrests in Turkey. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Last month, seven other people, including a private investigator, were arrested on similar charges. And in early January, 34 people were detained by Turkish police on suspicion of spying for Israel.
The suspects, who were arrested in January, are accused of planning activities such as reconnaissance and “tracking, assault and kidnapping” of foreigners living in Turkey.
At the time, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunku said most of the suspects were charged with carrying out “political or military espionage” on behalf of Israeli intelligence services.
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State-run Anadolu Agency cited unnamed security officials as saying those detained on Tuesday included a former civil servant who now works as a private investigator, and who is said to have received Mossad training in Belgrade, Serbia. Said to be included. Anadolu said he collected information on companies and individuals in the Middle East and even placed tracking devices on the cars of people targeted by Israeli intelligence.
After years of tension, Turkey and Israel reappointed their ambassadors and normalized relations in 2022. However, after the Israel-Hamas war, these relations deteriorated rapidly, and the Turkish government became one of the strongest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In December, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said the organization was ready to target Hamas militants everywhere, including Lebanon, Turkey and Qatar.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Israel of “serious consequences” if it follows through on its threat to attack Hamas officials on Turkish territory.
