The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul wrapped up an indictment against Kosovar national Liridon Rexhepi, who is accused of running a financial network for Israel’s Mossad. Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Monday that prosecutors asked for a jail term of up to 35 years for Rexhepi, who was arrested last year.
The indictment says Rexhepi acted as head of a “money ring” for the Israeli intelligence agency and transferred cash to locals and foreigners working for Mossad in Türkiye in return for intelligence. The indictment also names Yıldıray Boztepe, a Turkish national, as an accomplice of Rexhepi. Both men are accused of political or military espionage and face the same sentences. Prosecutors ask for a minimum of 18 years and nine months for suspects.
Rexhepi was arrested by Istanbul police in September 2024. Authorities said he had traveled to Türkiye from abroad in August 2024 and arrived at an airport in the southern province of Antalya before his arrest in Istanbul.
According to the indictment, the suspect had money transactions with other suspects working for Mossad who were already under investigation and sent cash to said suspects in return for their work for the Israeli intelligence. He is accused of directing locals and foreigners recruited by Mossad, including instructing them to take photos and videos by drones of Palestinian nationals living in Istanbul. Boztepe was among the recipients of cash sent by Rexhepi.
The indictment says two individuals filed a complaint to local authorities after spotting a person making a drone shoot around their residences in Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district and a subsequent investigation revealed that Israeli intelligence operatives obtained information about said people who later escaped an armed attack. The man accused of taking drone photos and videos of said residence told investigators that he was hired by Boztepe for the job. Boztepe is the owner of a commercial drone company. Boztepe, in turn, was hired by a man identified as “Abdullah,” a codenamed suspect with past links to Mossad. According to the indictment, based on messages found in the cellphones of Boztepe, he negotiated with people linked to Mossad for a price for drone shooting of housing complexes in Istanbul, usually populated by Palestinians who fled Israeli attacks. Messages included exchanges on the security of those complexes and the exact addresses of targeted Palestinians. Boztepe was later paid by two suspects, Ardit Lusufi and Festim Lusufi, who acted as messengers of Rexhepi.
Boztepe denied charges of espionage and claimed he was contacted by a man called “Abdullah” for drone shooting and did not suspect it when different people sent him cash in exchange for the job, thinking they were working for “Abdullah.” He claimed he was not aware of the identity of people in places whose photos and videos were shot by drones.
Suspects are expected to appear before a court in the coming days. Prosecutors say suspects worked on identifying and locating people who were targeted by the Israeli intelligence. “They attempted to obtain private information about targets and shared it with Israeli intelligence operatives, who likely planned abduction or assassination of targeted individuals,” they said in the indictment.
As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict rages on, Türkiye has uncovered several networks operated by Mossad in the country.
Dozens were detained or arrested on charges of having ties to Mossad and running espionage rings for Mossad operatives. Their primary targets have been Palestinians living in Türkiye or visiting the country, particularly those linked to Hamas.
Türkiye views Hamas as a resistance group, while Israel brands it as a terrorist group.
