A Turkish court has sentenced eight defendants to a combined 48 years in prison for espionage activities conducted on behalf of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, with a former police officer receiving the longest term.
The Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court on Friday handed Hamza Turhan Ayberk a 20-year prison sentence for "serial political or military espionage,” while seven other defendants received four years and two months each for obtaining state security-related information.
The other convicted suspects, Hakan Kabaca, Funda Kadayıfçıoğlu, Ercan Kama, Ömer Burak Gezer, Ismail Kaya, Mehmet Yetimova and Özkan Şahin, all detained in late 2024, were found guilty of acting jointly to gather and transfer sensitive information.
The court ruled that Ayberk will remain in custody, while Kabaca was released under judicial supervision. The remaining defendants had been tried without detention.
According to the indictment, Ayberk, a former police officer, established contact with Mossad operatives code-named "Victoria” and "Marc” and carried out assignments involving surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Ayberk met "Victoria” in Belgrade in 2019, a meeting he acknowledged in his statement, after which he was tasked with monitoring individuals and investigating their financial assets. Prosecutors said these assignments went beyond routine inquiries and constituted espionage activities.
He later coordinated with other defendants, assigning tasks such as tracking individuals in hotels, conducting asset investigations and compiling personal data. The information was then transmitted to Mossad operatives through digital platforms, including Skype and email.
In one operation detailed in the indictment, Ayberk and several co-defendants followed individuals arriving in Türkiye and gathered intelligence on their movements. Authorities said such activities were carried out in coordination and over an extended period.
Prosecutors said Ayberk received payments through bank transfers and cryptocurrency, and distributed money to some of the other defendants in exchange for their assistance.
The indictment also cited communication records and technical data showing repeated contact among the suspects. Historical telephone signal records indicated overlapping locations and sustained interaction between Ayberk and other defendants, supporting claims of an organized network.
Hakan Kabaca was accused of supplying sensitive personal data, including travel records, accommodation details and passport information, in return for payment. Authorities said he maintained frequent contact with Ayberk and other suspects.
Prosecutors argued that the group collected and shared confidential information on individuals in Türkiye who were considered targets of Israeli intelligence, including some who had sought refuge in the country.
The indictment noted that such information is protected under international agreements and warned that its exposure could enable further actions such as surveillance, abduction or assassination attempts.
Financial investigations conducted by Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) found that the defendants obtained material benefits from their activities.
The prosecution had sought prison sentences ranging from 18 years and nine months to 36 years and nine months for espionage-related charges, arguing that the suspects acted in coordination and committed the offenses multiple times.
During the hearings, defendants denied the accusations and presented their defenses, while the court evaluated digital evidence, financial records and witness statements before delivering its verdict.
As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict rages on, Türkiye has uncovered several networks operated by Mossad in the country, resulting in dozens of arrests and ongoing prosecutions since 2022 alone.
The first major crackdown came in late 2022, when authorities detained 68 suspects in Istanbul and other provinces. In 2023, coordinated raids, including operations in Istanbul and Izmir, led to the arrest of at least 60 additional individuals. In 2024, authorities opened four separate espionage cases, encompassing over 100 suspects who were either detained, arrested, or under investigation.
Many suspects were accused of collecting sensitive personal data and conducting surveillance on foreign nationals residing in Türkiye, particularly Palestinians or those associated with the Palestinian group Hamas. Mossad is said to have also recruited Palestinians and Syrian nationals in Türkiye as part of an operation against foreigners living in Türkiye.
After a brief normalization period in 20222, Türkiye-Israel ties deteriorated again after Israel launched its war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 73,000 Palestinians. Ankara is one of the strongest critics of Israel's military actions in Gaza.