Turkish intelligence and security forces have dismantled a suspected Iranian espionage network operating inside Türkiye, arresting six people in coordinated raids across five provinces.
According to the Sabah newspaper, the operation was carried out jointly by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and police units, targeting a cell accused of collecting sensitive military and security information and preparing potential attack plans, including reconnaissance of the Incirlik Air Base in southern Türkiye.
According to investigators, the network was directed by Iranian intelligence officers identified as Najaf Rostami, known by the alias “Haji,” and Mahdi Yekeh Dehghan, referred to as “Doctor.” Authorities said Rostami tasked Alican Koç, who lives in the eastern province of Van, with recruiting individuals to secretly record photo and video footage around the Incirlik base in Adana.
The investigation also found that an Iranian national, Ashkan Jalali, based in Ankara, planned the transfer of armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Türkiye to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Cypriot administration via the companies he owned, Bulaq Robotics and Arete Industries. Jalali and Koç allegedly attended specialized drone training sessions in Iran in August and September 2025.
Police detained defense industry company owners Erhan Ergelen and Taner Özcan, textile businessperson Cemal Beyaz, Remzi Beyaz, Koç and Jalali during Istanbul-centered raids.
All six suspects were later arrested by an Istanbul court on charges of “obtaining confidential state information for political or military espionage.”
It was also reported that Ergelen and Özcan traveled to Iran in October 2025 and played roles in drone shipment plans to Greek Cyprus. In testimony, Remzi Beyaz claimed he was offered money to participate in assassination plots targeting Iranian dissidents.
The operation also uncovered that the network used encrypted messaging under the code name “Güvercin” and financed its activities by disguising operations as commercial drone trade.
The MIT conducted hundreds of operations at home and abroad in 2025, focusing on armed groups, espionage cells, terrorist financing and cybercrime networks, according to information compiled from Turkish security sources.
MIT’s activities included captures of senior Daesh and PKK figures abroad, dismantling of cyber networks inside Türkiye and coordination with partner services, reflecting what authorities described as a wider operational and diplomatic reach.
Islam Dotkanlou and Akam Shahe, senior figures within the PKK's Iran-based structure, were neutralized by the intelligence organization in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah province.
