According to recent news reports, Turkish authorities have arrested 33 people suspected of carrying out “international espionage” for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. The suspects were detained in 57 locations across eight provinces near Istanbul as part of an investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and Turkey’s National Intelligence Agency. The suspects were believed to be aiming to identify, monitor, assault, and kidnap foreign nationals living in Turkey. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that Israeli intelligence was attempting to organize attacks against foreign nationals. Last month, Turkish officials warned Israel of “serious consequences” if it tried to hunt down members of the group, including in Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan warned that would be a mistake. Turkey, unlike most of its Western allies and some Arab nations, does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. [1][3][4][5]
Citations:
[1] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkiye-formally-arrests-15-suspects-for-spying-for-israel/3101602
[2] https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/erdogan-claims-arrest-of-purported-israeli-espionage-network-is-just-a-first-step/
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-detains-33-people-suspected-espionage-israels-mossad-state-media-2024-01-02/
[4] https://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-says-it-rounds-up-33-suspected-spies-for-israel-s-mossad/7421269.html
[5] https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-arrests-33-suspected-of-spying-for-israel/
Thirty three detained on charges of ‘espionage for Israel’
Police arrest 15 suspects spying for Israel
Discover more from Erkan's Field Diary
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.