The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) detained two individuals in Istanbul on suspicion of working for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, in a joint operation with the city police and judicial authorities, security sources said Friday.
The suspects, identified as Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, spied for and transferred information to Mossad over an extended period. They had been under MIT surveillance for some time before being apprehended in an operation referred to as the “MONITUM Activity."
According to security sources, Derya, a mining engineer, founded a company in 2005 and opened a marble quarry in the Silifke district of southern Mersin province, later exporting products to multiple countries. His international trade activities drew the attention of Mossad, which allegedly established contact with him through an individual operating under the code name “Ali Ahmed Yassin,” described as a representative of a front company set up by Israeli intelligence.
Sources said Yassin visited Derya in 2012, presenting a potential business opportunity and inviting him to a meeting with company executives in Europe. Derya allegedly traveled abroad in 2013, where he met with individuals posing as company owners but later identified as members of Israeli intelligence.
Investigators said that during these meetings, Derya was instructed to hire Kerimoğlu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, and report back on their joint activities. Authorities said Derya complied with the directive, hiring Kerimoğlu and maintaining close personal and professional ties with him, while allegedly receiving instructions and even salary payments for Kerimoğlu from intelligence operatives.
Security sources said that after hiring Kerimoğlu, Derya expanded commercial operations targeting Middle Eastern countries. Through Kerimoğlu, he allegedly developed social and business relations with Palestinians opposed to Israel’s policies toward Middle Eastern states, including Gaza, and shared information about these contacts with Israeli intelligence.
Authorities said Derya also sought entry permits to Gaza by leveraging commercial links and allegedly transmitted photographs of storage facilities he searched for in the territory to Mossad operatives.
Investigators further said Kerimoğlu proposed expanding their commercial ventures into drone parts trading in early 2016. Derya allegedly relayed the proposal to Israeli intelligence officials, and after receiving approval, the first product samples were reportedly supplied by Mossad. Authorities noted that one of the individuals the suspects allegedly attempted to sell drones to, Mohamed Zouari, was assassinated in Tunisia in 2016 by Israeli intelligence.
Derya maintained contact with Israeli intelligence from 2013 until his detention, holding meetings in several European countries with operatives using code names including “Luis,” “Jesus/Jose,” “Dr. Roberto/Ricardo,” “Dan/Dennis,” “Mark,” “Elly/Emmy” and “Michael.”
Israeli intelligence provided Derya with encrypted communication systems to maintain operational secrecy. He was also subjected to polygraph tests in an Asian country in 2016 and again in a European country in 2024, both of which he allegedly passed, after which he reportedly assumed a more advanced role in intelligence-related operations.
Derya also procured SIM cards, internet modems and router devices from Türkiye and other countries, transmitting photographs of device labels containing technical details such as serial numbers, production data and MAC addresses to Mossad contacts.
Derya was most recently tasked with establishing a front company abroad to infiltrate international supply chains. According to the alleged plan, the company would coordinate procurement and shipment of products from countries designated by Mossad to final destinations identified by Israeli intelligence, working with three legitimate companies operating in Asia at different stages of the logistics process.
Authorities said preparations for the company included establishing bank accounts, designing a website, opening social media accounts and conducting research into potential partner firms. Derya’s latest meeting with Mossad operatives regarding the project was reportedly held abroad in January.
Turkish intelligence, in recent years, has uncovered several spy networks operated by independent groups, terrorist organizations like Daesh, or foreign intelligence agencies in Türkiye.
According to Turkish security sources, Mossad often uses online communication applications to recruit operatives to spy on Palestinians and other foreign nationals living in Türkiye.
