Turkish media outlets report that 11 spies who worked on behalf of Israel’s Mossad have been arrested for operations targeting company with ties to Iran.
By World Israel News Staff
Turkish authorities have arrested 11 people accused of being part of an Israeli spy ring, local media outlets reported Tuesday afternoon.
According to the pro-Erdogan newspaper Sabah, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization and Istanbul police uncovered the cell, which has been tied to Israel’s Mossad.
Eleven people have been arrested for their connections with the cell, following a year-and-a-half-long investigation. The cell is said to have included 15 individuals, though four of them have yet to be taken into custody.
The alleged Mossad cell had reportedly targeted a single company and 23 people, all of whom had business ties with Iran.
Selçuk Küçükkaya has been identified as the leader of the spy ring. He was apparently recruited by the Mossad through a member of the Gülen movement, a group banned in Turkey and blacklisted by Ankara as a terrorist organization.
None of the suspects arrested thus far are Israeli nationals.
This is not the first time Turkey has arrested members of alleged Mossad spy rings.
In October, 2021, 15 Arabs who were said to be working for the Mossad were arrested. Turkey claimed the spies were involved in gathering information on Palestinians and other foreign students enrolled in Turkish universities along with the organizations that hosted them.
Last December, Turkish authorities detained 44 suspects accused of working for the Mossad.
As in the 2021 bust, the alleged Mossad agents were accused of spying on local Palestinians on behalf of Israel.