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Turkish intelligence and police forces have dismantled an Iranian espionage cell that conducted reconnaissance on the Incirlik Air Base and planned to establish assassination teams, authorities announced on Wednesday.
The National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and Turkish police conducted a joint operation across five provinces centered on Istanbul, arresting six suspects.
Those detained include defense industry company owners Erhan Ergelen and Taner Ozcan, textile businessmen Cemal Beyaz and Remzi Beyaz, Alican Koc and Iranian national Ashkan Jalali.
All six suspects were remanded in custody by the Istanbul Duty Criminal Court of Peace on charges of "obtaining state secrets for political or military espionage purposes."
According to a report by a Turkish media outlet, the investigation identified Iranian intelligence officers Najaf Rostami, known by the code name "Haji," and Mahdi Yekeh Dehghan, known as "Doctor," as the heads of the espionage cell.
Rostami was found to have tasked Alican Koc, who resides in Van, with finding individuals to take photographs and videos at the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, according to the investigation.
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Iranian national Ashkan Jalali, residing in Ankara, planned to ship unmanned combat aerial vehicles from Türkiye to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Cyprus Administration (GCA) through his companies Bulaq Robotik and Arete Industries, the investigation found.
Jalali and Koc participated in specialized UCAV training in Iran during August-September 2025, authorities determined.
Erhan Ergelen and Taner Ozcan traveled to Iran in October 2025 and played roles in UCAV shipments to Greek Cyprus, according to the investigation.
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