Newsletters
Türkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), working with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Terrorism Branch, arrested Serkan Cicek in a joint operation after determining he was working for Israel's intelligence service Mossad.
MIT's intelligence work revealed that Cicek was in contact with Faysal Rasheed, a member of Israel's Online Operations Center.
Cicek accepted an espionage assignment from Rasheed targeting a Palestinian activist opposed to Israel's Middle East policies.
MIT's investigation determined that Cicek, whose real name is Muhammet Fatih Keles, changed his name after accumulating substantial debts in his business life.
Following this identity change, Cicek abandoned commerce and established Pandora Detective Agency in 2020, beginning work as a private detective.
During this period, he met Musa Kus and attorney Tugrulhan Dip. Kus, who is currently imprisoned for espionage for Israel, assisted detectives in obtaining personal data from public records in exchange for financial benefit. Cicek conducted work with both the currently imprisoned Musa Kus and attorney Tugrulhan Dip as part of his detective activities.
While working as a detective, Cicek attracted the attention of Mossad agents from the Israeli Secret Service. Mossad member Rasheed, presenting himself as personnel from an overseas law firm, contacted Cicek via WhatsApp on July 31.
Rasheed requested that Cicek conduct four days of surveillance on a Palestinian activist living in Basaksehir who opposed Israel's Middle East policies.
For this job, Rasheed paid Serkan Cicek $4,000 worth of cryptocurrency on Aug. 1.
When Cicek researched the target's name online, he learned the person was a Palestinian activist. Despite knowing that Musa Kus, from whom he had received support in his detective work, had been imprisoned with a 19-year sentence for working for Israel, Cicek accepted Rasheed's offer.
The arrest was conducted through a joint operation by MIT, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Terrorism Branch after determining Serkan Cicek was working for the Israeli secret service Mossad.
3 min read
