Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) arrested in Istanbul two people accused of spying for Israel’s intelligence services, the Mossad, in a joint operation with police and judicial authorities, security sources said Friday.
The two suspects, identified as Turkish nationals Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, allegedly spied for the Mossad and transferred information to the Israeli secret services over a period of time spanning several years, according to the investigation. The two men had been under surveillance by the MİT for some time before they were finally arrested in the last few hours, in an operation dubbed “MONİTUM” by the Turkish authorities.
According to information from Turkish security sources published by the Turkish portal TRTHaber, Mehmet Budak Derya, a mining engineer and head of a marble quarry in the Silifke district of the southern province of Mersin, came to the attention of Israeli intelligence because of his international trade activities, which began in 2005.
In September 2012, Derya was visited in his office by an individual using the alias ‘Ali Ahmed Yassin’, who introduced himself as a manager of a front company in Israel; Derya was invited to travel to Europe in January 2013 with the promise of “business opportunities“, and there he had his first contact with Mossad agents.
The network gathered information on Gaza and Palestinians opposed to Israel
Following Mossad’s instructions, Derya hired Veysel Kerimoğlu, a Turkish citizen of Palestinian origin, who used his network of contacts in the Middle East to gather information on Palestinians opposed to Israel: all the data obtained, along with photographs of strategic warehouses in Gaza, were transferred directly to the Israeli Mossad, which also covered Kerimoğlu’s operating expenses and his own salary.
A highlight of the investigation conducted by Turkish intelligence services that has come to light relates to Mohamed Zouari, a man who was killed in Tunisia in 2016. The investigation found that Derya and Kerimoğlu attempted to sell drone components to Zouari using samples provided by the Mossad itself, and that the two had established business contact with the deceased prior to his murder.
Investigations further indicate that Derya used encrypted communication systems in his espionage activities and that he also sent Mossad technical data – including MAC addresses and passwords – of devices obtained in Türkiye, including SIM cards, modems and routers.
Mossad was preparing a major international operation
At the last meeting with the Israeli secret services, held in Europe in January, it was revealed that Mossad was preparing a major international operation involving attacks on the logistical infrastructure of certain countries and institutions, an operation in which Derya was to collaborate. The plan was to infiltrate the global supply chain through front companies set up abroad and move products from designated countries to the “end user” (target), using three Asian-based companies after modifying packaging and storage systems.
Following the Turkish MİT’s monitoring of Derya, in January 2026 Turkish intelligence services launched an operation during the final planning phase of the Israeli plan, which culminated in the arrest today of Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, who remain under police interrogation.
In recent years, Turkish intelligence services have dismantled several espionage networks linked to both independent groups and terrorist organisations such as ISIS and to foreign agencies operating in Turkey, including Israeli Mossad. According to Turkish security sources, Israeli intelligence frequently uses online messaging apps and even fake ads to recruit collaborators in Türkiye, who are tasked with missions such as spying on Palestinians and other foreign nationals residing in the country.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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