Security authorities in Turkey thwarted the activities of an alleged Mossad operation against Palestinian organizations working on Turkish territory on Wednesday, Maariv and Walla said quoting Turkish media, 44 people suspected of being connected to the Mossad as part of the operation were arrested.
The arrested suspects, members of a consulting company operating out of Istanbul, were allegedly secretly following Palestinian citizens, institutions and non-governmental organizations in Turkey for financial gain, posing as employees for a consulting company, Turkish media said.
The operation was launched this week, and according to the statements of the detainees, their work was supposed to help the Mossad launch campaigns of slander and threats against Palestinians.
Seven of the suspects were referred to court after their arrest by the Istanbul Security Directorate and sent to prison. It was also reported that while 13 fleeing suspects are still at large, the investigation of the other suspects in the counter-terrorism branch continues.
Turkey arrests Mossad spy network
In October, Turkey arrested a spy network of 15 people who allegedly worked for the Mossad, according to a report by Sabah, which is affiliated with President Erdogan's regime.
According to the report, the group collected information about Turkish and foreign students and Palestinians living in the country for financial gain and was arrested in a raid about two weeks ago.
The group operated in five separate cells, with three members each. They were arrested in the operation of Turkey's anti-terrorism unit in four different provinces of Turkey. Israel has not responded to the allegations.