Ex-Turkish police officer led Mossad targeting Palestinians, prosecutors say

Turkish authorities have identified a former police officer as the leader of a Mossad-run espionage network that targeted Palestinian activists in Türkiye, according to Turkish media.

The case underscores escalating intelligence activity in Türkiye, as foreign spy networks—particularly Mossad—allegedly operate within its borders amid heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Details of operation

• Gonen Karakaya, a former police officer, was named as the head of the network, which reportedly gathered intelligence on at least eight Palestinian individuals on behalf of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
• Karakaya, along with his associate Ahmet Yurtseven and five others, was detained by Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in raids conducted in Istanbul and Izmir in 2024.
• Following the completion of the investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, all seven suspects were formally charged with
  • Illegally obtaining or disseminating personal information.
  • Membership in a criminal organization.
  • Political or military espionage.
• Prosecutors are seeking a combined sentence of up to 640 years in prison for the group.
• According to the indictment, Karakaya first contacted Mossad’s online operations center in 2019 and continued working with agents using the aliases “Yuriy Kovalchuk,” “Dimitri,” and “Peter Petrenko” until his arrest in February 2024.
• Under their direction, he conducted reconnaissance, surveillance, and intelligence gathering on foreign nationals, companies, and individuals residing in Türkiye.

Karakaya was previously charged in connection with the Zindashti drug trafficking case, including allegations that he deleted surveillance footage related to the 2018 murders of Arzu Zindashti and Ilhan Ungan.

Turkish intelligence has uncovered multiple Mossad-linked operations in recent years. Investigations revealed that Mossad frequently recruits locals, including former law enforcement officers, private investigators, and foreign residents, to monitor individuals, primarily Palestinians linked to Hamas.

While Israel designates Hamas as a terrorist organization, Türkiye regards it as a legitimate resistance group.

Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Israel have further deteriorated since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Tensions escalated following the July 2024 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had been hosted in Türkiye on multiple occasions.

May 26, 2025 03:53 PM GMT+03:00