Anadolu Agency reported today, Tuesday, that Turkish police have arrested seven people, including a private investigator, on suspicion of selling information to the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad). The state-owned news agency cited security sources stating that "the private investigator, a former government employee, is suspected of gathering information on companies and individuals in the Middle East while in Turkey, planting tracking devices, and engaging in surveillance operations."
The sources indicated that the arrests were part of an operation carried out by the National Intelligence Agency and anti-terror police in Istanbul. It was noted that "the Turkish investigator received training from Mossad in the Serbian capital of Belgrade and was paid in cryptocurrency that did not appear in official records."
Ankara has not issued any official statement regarding the operation, and Israel has yet to comment on the Anadolu Agency report. Turkish and Israeli leaders have publicly exchanged criticisms since the start of the Israeli war on Hamas. Ankara has warned Israel of "severe consequences" if it attempts to pursue Hamas members living outside Palestinian territories, some of whom reside in Turkey.
