Turkey arrests two over alleged Mossad espionage ties: What to know

Ezgi Akin

Feb 6, 2026

Turkish Presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. - Turkey on May 25 said the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland would not move forward unless they addressed Ankara's security concerns, in talks with delegations from both Nordic states. NATO member Turkey has opposed the applications of Sweden and neighbouring Finland over what it considers leniency t — Ibrahim Kalin, director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, gives a press conference at the presidential complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022. — ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

ANKARA — Turkish authorities have arrested two men in Istanbul on accusations that they spied for Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

Details: The suspects were identified as Turkish national Mehmet Budak Derya and Turkish citizen Veysel Kerimoglu, who is of Palestinian descent, according to Anadolu. Authorities accused the pair of providing information to the Mossad for more than a decade. Both suspects were placed in pretrial detention pending a formal indictment.

Derya, a mining engineer who later entered international trade through a marble business in southern Turkey, allegedly established contact with Israeli intelligence operatives in Europe in 2013, according to Anadolu.

Authorities claim he later expanded commercial ties in the Middle East along with Kerimoglu, whom he allegedly employed on the Mossad’s advice. The pair allegedly cultivated ties with Palestinians in Turkey and elsewhere who were critical of Israel’s policies. According to Anadolu, they then passed personal and operational data on these individuals to Israeli handlers. The identities of the Palestinians targeted were not disclosed.

They also began selling drone components in early 2016, according to Anadolu. One of the individuals they allegedly approached was Mohamed Zouari, a Tunisian engineer who was assassinated later that year in Tunisia. The killing was widely attributed to Israeli intelligence services, although Israel has never officially confirmed responsibility.

Why it matters: Turkish authorities also accuse Derya of supplying Mossad with technical data — including serial numbers and MAC addresses — harvested from SIM cards, modems, and routers purchased in Turkey and abroad. Official reports did not specify which other countries were allegedly involved.

In January, he and his Mossad handlers allegedly discussed plans to establish a front company abroad, Turkish authorities said, in a bid to infiltrate international supply chains.

The alleged activities of the suspects in Istanbul reflect the growing role of supply chains in modern intelligence operations.

In September 2024, thousands of pagers and other communication devices used by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon and Syria in what was widely taken as an Israeli intelligence operation. The devices had been embedded with explosives during the supply-chain process, Al-Monitor reported. Thousands were wounded and dozens were killed.

Know more: The operation comes as Turkish authorities intensify counterintelligence efforts amid heightened regional instability. In late January, Turkish authorities also detained six people on allegations of political and military espionage on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, accusing the suspects of collecting sensitive information on military installations and strategic sites in Turkey and abroad.