Türkiye captures two Mossad operatives in Istanbul spy sting
Turkish intelligence says a long-running operation has uncovered a covert network allegedly feeding sensitive information to Israel via business fronts and foreign meetings
Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has detained two suspects accused of working for Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad following what officials described as a complex counter-espionage operation code-named “MONITUM.”
Turkish security sources said on Friday that Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu were taken into custody in coordinated actions led by MIT, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Police Department’s counterterrorism branch.
According to investigators, Derya, a mining engineer, founded a company in 2005 and opened a marble quarry in the Silifke district of the city of Mersin before expanding into international trade. His growing business links across multiple countries allegedly drew the attention of Israeli intelligence.
In September 2012, a man using the code name “Ali Ahmed Yassin,” acting on behalf of a front company established by Israel, visited Derya’s office and offered cooperation, the sources said.
By January 2013, Derya was introduced to Mossad operatives during a meeting in Europe.
Meetings in third countries
During these contacts, a Mossad officer using the code name “Luis” requested the recruitment of Kerimoglu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin. The two men were allegedly instructed to jointly report on all activities and contacts.
Security sources said Derya maintained meetings in various European countries with multiple Mossad operatives using code names such as Luis, Jesus/Jose, Dr. Roberto/Ricardo, Dan/Dennis, Mark, Elly/Emmy and Michael.
Investigators allege the pair collected information primarily through social and commercial contacts with Palestinians critical of Israeli policies in the region, passing details on individuals, locations and networks to Israeli intelligence.
Derya is also accused of attempting to obtain permission to enter Gaza, conducting reconnaissance of warehouse facilities there and transmitting photographs to Mossad.
Attempts to enter drone-parts trade
The file further alleges that in 2016 Kerimoglu proposed entering drone-parts trade, an idea conveyed to Israeli intelligence, with initial samples allegedly supplied by Mossad.
Authorities noted that Mohamed Zouari, with whom drone sales were reportedly being explored, was assassinated in Tunisia in December 2016, an operation widely attributed to Israel.
As part of operational security, Israeli intelligence allegedly provided Derya with encrypted communication systems and subjected him to two polygraph tests — one in an Asian country in 2016 and another at a European hotel in August 2024. After passing both, Derya was allegedly abel to advance to a higher operational level.
Investigators say the suspects also photographed and transmitted technical data, including serial numbers, MAC addresses and specifications of SIM cards, modems and routers sourced from Türkiye and other countries.