Turkish court sentences alleged Mossad agents to long prison terms

A Turkish court has sentenced 35 individuals to prison for espionage activities linked to Israel’s Mossad. The defendants, convicted of gathering intelligence on individuals associated with Palestine and Hamas in Türkiye, will serve terms of six years and eight months each. Among the accused, several admitted to passing information to contacts they claimed they believed were from private companies, rather than Israeli intelligence.

The case, which involved 56 suspects, drew international attention for its scale and the use of encrypted communications through apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram to share sensitive details, including videos and photographs of strategic locations in Istanbul. The Turkish government accused the network of spying on pro-Palestinian individuals and sharing this data with Mossad, reportedly receiving payments through international money transfers and cryptocurrencies.

Among the convicted, key defendants like Ahmet Koray Ozgurun and Alperen Erkut received more severe sentences of over eight years for their roles in acquiring classified information. However, the court showed leniency, reducing the original sentences due to considerations about their futures. In addition to prison terms, those convicted were also subject to travel bans.