Turkey arrests two on charges of spying for Mossad

Turkish intelligence has arrested two individuals in Istanbul on suspicion of spying for Israeli Mossad, Anadolu state news agency reported Friday. The suspects, Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu, are alleged to have shared sensitive information that helped Mossad target its enemies.

Background of the arrest
Turkish authorities said Derya, a mining engineer, and Kerimoglu had been monitored by Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency for some time.

The investigation revealed a network of activities allegedly supporting Mossad espionage in the region.

Mehmet Budak Derya’s alleged involvement
According to security sources, Derya first attracted Mossad’s attention in 2005 when he opened a marble quarry near Mersin and began international trade.

In 2012, he was contacted by an individual named Ali Ahmed Yassin, who ran an Israeli shell company.

Derya reportedly met Mossad agents during a business meeting in Europe in 2013. During the meeting, agents allegedly suggested hiring Veysel Kerimoglu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, to assist with intelligence operations.

Role of Veysel Kerimoglu and Mossad connections
Derya and Kerimoglu allegedly formed a friendship and began sharing information with Mossad, with Kerimoglu’s salary reportedly paid by the agency.

Through Kerimoglu, Derya expanded his activities across the Middle East, building commercial and social ties with Palestinians opposed to Israeli policies and allegedly providing Mossad with intelligence about them.

The suspects are also accused of sending technical data and photos of properties they aimed to acquire, particularly in Gaza.

Alleged operations and espionage activities
In early 2016, Kerimoglu reportedly advised Derya to begin supplying drone parts.

Derya allegedly made contact with Mohamed Zouari, a drone engineer for the Palestinian Hamas movement, who was later killed in Tunisia in December 2016. A Tunisian court recently convicted 18 individuals in absentia over Zouari’s murder.

Derya is also accused of using an encrypted communication system to transmit technical data and underwent lie detector tests in 2016 and 2024.

Turkish authorities said he was arrested while attempting to establish a company to manage three Asian shell companies designed to conceal the origins of products supplied to Mossad targets.

Legal proceedings and investigation status
Both suspects remain in police custody and are currently being questioned by authorities.

Turkish intelligence continues to investigate the full scope of their alleged espionage activities.