Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Tuesday said it had caught 11 people, including two Turkish nationals, who were spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
The group of 15 operated a countrywide network and was helmed by Selçuk Küçükkaya, a man trained in Europe, the agency said in a statement.
MIT officers led an investigation in coordination with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Küçükkaya, with whom Mossad got in contact via Serkan Özdemir, a former Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) personnel who fled Türkiye to dodge prosecution for being a member of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Küçükkaya met in person with Mossad executives who introduced themselves as Jose-Jorhe Satia, Thomas Alfonso, and Raul in several European countries where he was put through specific trials and spy training. He was also taught the agency’s secret communication system and could contact other operatives through it.
According to MIT, Küçükkaya was tasked with gathering intelligence on a company and 23 individuals with trade ties to Iran and targeted by Israel. He watched the homes and workplaces of the said individuals’ families and leaked information to Mossad about their flights to and from abroad, phone conversations and signals, bank accounts and properties.
Küçükkaya and his accomplices were caught when he mailed a threatening package to one of his targets, who filed a complaint.
While 11 of them were apprehended in an operation in Istanbul, two operatives that fled are still being pursued, MIT said.
The last time the Turkish agency busted a Mossad cell in Türkiye was in December, as some seven people found spying on Palestinians in the country were arrested. The agency had informed that the suspects were helping Mossad launch online defamation campaigns and threats against Palestinians.
MIT, in cooperation with Turkish police, has uncovered a string of espionage networks in recent years, including one working for Russia, and thwarted a plot by Iran to assassinate Israeli citizens in Türkiye. Operations have also led to the discovery of a story by Iranian intelligence operatives to kidnap Iranian dissidents who took shelter in Türkiye.
