Following the arrest of suspended Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, his campaign advisor Necati Özkan and journalist Merdan Yanardağ on charges of “political espionage” on Monday, new details emerge in the probe suggesting the involvement of foreign intelligence networks in the 2019 local elections and the use of stolen data.
According to Sabah newspaper, the investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office focuses on claims that Imamoğlu’s campaign team collaborated with Hüseyin Gün, who allegedly maintained ties with foreign intelligence services. Gün reportedly worked with a group led by former CIA operative Aaron Barr, accused of hacking into the internal communications of members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) social media team and several journalists before the March 2019 elections.
Prosecutors allege that the stolen data, including private messages and internal correspondence, were used to provide Imamoğlu’s campaign an unfair advantage. Investigators said Barr’s team also accessed communications of journalist Ismail Küçükkaya, who moderated the landmark televised debate between Imamoğlu and AK Party candidate Binali Yıldırım, allowing the opposition candidate to anticipate questions in advance.
In a message sent via the encrypted “Wickr” app, Gün advised Özkan on what Imamoğlu should pay attention to during the program, “All the information given in previous reports was proven true by Ismail. It’s funny that he flatters Mr. Yıldırım before asking questions,” he wrote.
When asked about this correspondence, Gün told investigators: “My technical team performed a ‘deep analysis’ of the moderator’s internal communications to determine what questions he might ask.” The prosecutor’s office concluded that the journalists’ questions were obtained illegally through unauthorized access to their phones and internal correspondence.
Gün also gained access to the internal messages and private X (Twitter) conversations of individuals working on the AK Party’s social media team during the election period and transferred this information to Imamoğlu’s campaign staff.
In his statement, Gün admitted: “I sent Necati Özkan analyses prepared by my technical team based on the internal communications of people working on the rival party’s social media operations. These were direct messages exchanged on social media platforms. The goal was to be aware of upcoming posts or news items in advance.”
The espionage operation disguised as “analysis” was allegedly carried out by Aaron Barr, the former CIA operative and Gün’s business partner, to manipulate the public perception during the elections. Software identified as “PQ” was reportedly used to monitor social media and private communications of thousands of voters.
Yanardağ, the editor-in-chief of Tele1 TV, was also accused of forming the “media wing” of the espionage network by broadcasting propaganda and allegedly receiving $10,000 from Gün. He initially denied taking the payment but later admitted he “might have,” according to the indictment.
Investigators allege that during the 2019 local elections, Gün and Özkan collaborated to analyze voter districts, create voter profiles and leak confidential electoral data to foreign intelligence services, actions prosecutors classify as espionage.
