Önder Sığırcıkoğlu, a Turkish national on the run for 12 years after smuggling anti-Assad officers back to Syria, was captured on the Syrian-Lebanese border, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced on Monday.
Security sources said the suspect was captured thanks to a joint operation with the Syrian intelligence, two years after the Assad regime was overthrown. Sığırcıkoğlu was brought to Ankara for questioning by police and prosecutors.
Sığırcıkoğlu was accused of kidnapping Hussein Harmoush and Mustafa Kassum, two commanders of the opposition Free Syrian Army, at the height of Syrian civil war and handing them over to the oppressive Assad regime. Harmoush later died of torture by the Baathist regime.
Sığırcıkoğlu was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in prison for "deprivation of liberty through force, threat, or deceit," but he escaped from Osmaniye prison in southern Türkiye, where he was held in 2014. Subsequent investigation discovered that suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) helped him escape.
After his escape, Sığırcıkoğlu hid in Syria, Russia, and Lebanon while MIT doggedly pursued him.
While in Syria, Sığırcıkoğlu was protected by the Assad regime and in exchange, he conducted espionage against Türkiye, providing the identities and movements of individuals working for Türkiye’s interests to Syrian officials, security sources said.
The investigation also highlighted Sığırcıkoğlu’s close relationship with Mihraç Ural, leader of the terrorist group THKP/C-Acilciler and Yusuf Nazik, the perpetrator of the 2013 Reyhanlı bombings in southern Türkiye linked to the Baathist Syria’s intelligence service. Under Ural’s direction, Sığırcıkoğlu engaged in anti-Türkiye propaganda and psychological operations using manipulated media and doctored imagery, sources aid.
In a past interview, Sığırcıkoğlu admitted to planning and executing the kidnapping of Harmoush, stating he felt no remorse and acted because he disagreed with Türkiye’s Syria policy. Reports indicate he and Nazik shared a residence in Syria for a period, maintaining a close operational bond.
Önder Sığırcıkoğlu also established contact and held meetings with Russian intelligence, sharing strategic and sensitive information regarding Türkiye.
Through intelligence analysis, it was determined that Sığırcıkoğlu first hid in Syria, then in a house in the Jabal Mohsen region of Lebanon, subsequently moved to the Krasnodar region of Russia, and later returned to Lebanon via Egypt.
Upon receiving information that Sığırcıkoğlu would attempt to cross back into Syria, a joint operation was planned between MIT and Syrian Intelligence. Intelligence agencies from both countries acted in coordination along the border line, waiting for the individual's crossing. After 12 years on the run, Önder Sığırcıkoğlu was captured in a joint operation conducted on the Syria-Lebanon border.
Following the capture, MIT and Syrian Intelligence established a joint working group regarding the process leading up to the execution of Hussein Harmoush.
Sığırcıkoğlu has been handed over to judicial authorities. In addition to his existing 20-year prison sentence, he is expected to face trial for political and military espionage, aiding and abetting a terrorist organization, abuse of office, and aiding in a homicide.
The capture of Önder Sığırcıkoğlu also signals a new era in regional balances through intelligence-level cooperation between Türkiye and Syria, security sources said.