Turkey‘s authorities have arrested a private detective in Istanbul on charges of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Turkish security sources said on Friday. The operation against espionage was carried out jointly by prosecutors and police under the code name Metron faaliyeti (Metron Activity).
The suspect, identified as Serkan Çiçek, was arrested after being fingered by the National Intelligence Organisation (MİT) and after investigations established that he was in contact with Faysal Rasheed, a well-known member of Israel’s Online Operations Centre. According to the same sources – quoted by the Turkish news agency Anatolia – Çiçek reportedly admitted to conducting surveillance in Istanbul at the request of Rasheed, who asked him to spy on a Palestinian activist critical of Israel’s Middle East policies.
Investigations revealed that the detainee, whose real name is Muhammet Fatih Keleş, changed his identity after accumulating heavy debts and in 2020 founded the private detective agency Pandora. He also allegedly collaborated with Musa Kuş – sentenced to 19 years in prison for spying for Israel – and lawyer Tuğrulhan Dip.
Dip was arrested in Istanbul in a joint operation between the Turkish secret services (MİT), the public prosecutor’s office and specialised anti-terrorist police units. According to the investigation, he provided personal data extracted from public records to Mossad-linked detectives, receiving financial benefits in return.
4,000 in cryptocurrencies in exchange for tracking Palestinian activist
Reports suggest that Rasheed contacted Çiçek via WhatsApp, introducing himself as an employee of a foreign law firm. He then instructed him to track a Palestinian activist based in the Başakşehir district of Istanbul for four days, a task for which Çiçek – who learned that his target was a Palestinian activist after an online search – was paid $4,000 in cryptocurrencies on 1 August. Despite knowing that his partner Kuş had been in prison for spying for Israel, Çiçek accepted the assignment, according to security sources.
In 2024, Turkish authorities arrested dozens of people accused of selling information and spying for Israel’s Mossad, including several private detectives. In September last year, 37 individuals were sentenced to six to eight years in prison for collaborating with Israeli intelligence. According to Turkish security services, the Mossad often uses online messaging apps and even fake advertisements to recruit collaborators to spy on Palestinians and other foreigners living in Turkey.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
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.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
