5 suspects nabbed for sharing information with Iranian intel

ISTANBUL

Turkish security forces have apprehended five suspects accused of obtaining classified information about military bases and other key locations in Türkiye and transmitting it to Iranian intelligence, sources said on March 14.

The suspects were found as having established contact with agents from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) intelligence division, according to the sources.

The information they illicitly acquired was related to Türkiye’s military installations, strategic locations and vital points abroad as well, the sources said, without disclosing the countries or specific targets of the network.

The suspects then relayed the gathered information to Iran’s intelligence services.

The probe, initiated by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office and coordinated by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), has led to the suspects facing charges of "military and political espionage."

Following the issuance of detention warrants, the five individuals were apprehended in simultaneous operations across Istanbul and the southern provinces of Antalya and Mersin.

Authorities reported that the suspects are in police custody, with the expectation that the court process will begin in days.

Similar operations targeting foreign agents were conducted last year, resulting in the detention of dozens of individuals thought to be working for Israeli intelligence.

According to local media reports, the Mossad suspects utilized a mechanism called the Israel Cyber Operations Unit to gather information on Palestinian citizens with Hamas connections in Türkiye deemed dangerous by the Israeli authorities.

In a bid to avoid suspicion, individuals collecting information were chosen from Palestinian and Syrian nationals, receiving nominal amounts ranging from $100 to $200 for every piece of shared information. Further revelations during the suspects' interrogations included Mossad operatives sharing photos of certain stores on Istanbul's İstiklal Avenue and Süleymaniye Mosque. Additionally, it was claimed that a report on Türkiye's most effective GSM operator was compiled at the behest of intelligence agencies.