News The Turkish National Intelligence Organization MIT conducted counter-espionage operations against Chinese and French intelligence operatives

[Kartal1]

Turkey’s Spy Problem: Mossad, the CPC, and France’s DGSE​

Since December of 2023, Turkey has already detained over forty spies involved with three different foreign agencies. The reasons were different for each group of people, but with that large quantity of people investigated for espionage in a short amount of time, it is fair to ask about what’s going on in Turkey. Some people will say spies are detained or arrested all the time; we just are not told by the media. But is that true? What would the benefits be for the government being spied on to cover up acts of espionage? It depends on the reasoning and who the perpetrator is.

In January, 34 people were detained on suspicion of spying for Israel in a joint operation, called Operation Mole, between Turkish Police and Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization. Furthermore, seven additional people were also arrested after the first sweep of arrests for the same thing, conducting activities for Mossad. Turkish authorities had decided to act after they discovered Israeli intelligence was seeking to carry out “tactical tasks, such as reconnaissance, pursuit, assault, and kidnapping against foreign nationals residing in Turkey”, per Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Turkish authorities had found copious amounts of foreign currency, including around 150,000 euros, an unregistered firearm, and digital materials during the raids of fifty-seven different addresses. Mossad arranged meetings and training for the suspects abroad, who were spreading fake news and misinformation, and conducting robberies and extortion for the Israeli intelligence group. Recently, Turkey’s President Erdogan issued a warning to Israel that it would “pay a heavy price” if Israel would attempt to hunt down any foreign nationals within the country. This is not the first time Turkish officials have arrested Israeli spies. In 2022, dozens of people were arrested on suspicion of spying on Palestinian citizens within the country. Israel has planned to hunt down members of the militant group Hamas in multiple countries outside of Palestine, and Hamas is not designated as a terrorist group within Turkey. President Erdogan has been vocally supportive of the Palestinians and has even compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. “Is there anything Netanyahu does that is less than Hitler? No,” Erdogan said. Turkish popular and political opinion is widely supportive of the Palestinians, with a massive Anti-Israel rally that happened in Istanbul recently. As relations between Turkey and Israel continue to deteriorate, and Mossad agents moving to hunt Hamas members “in every location” in the world, we will have to wait and see if more Mossad members are arrested in countries throughout the Middle East and if tensions continue to escalate between Turkey and Israel.

An estimated 50,000 Uyghurs are living in Turkey after fleeing persecution in Xinjiang from the Communist Party of China. In February, Turkish authorities detained six people spying on Uyghurs in Turkey on behalf of China’s intelligence service. Turkish authorities determined that six people, and an additional person of interest that is still being sought after, were gathering information on notable individuals from the Uyghur community and some organizations tied to them in Turkey. It was reported that members of one Uyghur organization in Turkey, and others, often had “strange” visitors asking “suspicious” questions or “offering money” in return for commercial information about Uyghur-owned businesses and companies that trade with them. Turkey is a member of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” but has condemned China for human right abuses in Xinjiang throughout the years and maintains that stance of being against the oppression of Uyghurs. China’s embassy in Ankara has yet to comment. Only time will tell if this affects relations between Turkey and China.

In December of 2023, a Syrian activist named Ahmed Katie had been arrested by Turkish authorities on charges of spying for France’s intelligence agency, the Directorate-General for External Security (DGES). Turkish authorities reported that Katie had received instructions from the directors of a Paris-based NGO, which is under the control of the DGSE, to feed “false” information on Turkey’s treatment of Syrian refugees and immigration policies to French officials in exchange to granting him and his family asylum. He had been tracked by MIT for a year as a leader of a three-person intelligence cell. Katie has a history of activism that has led to several arrests in Syria for protesting Bashar al Asaad’s regime. While residing in Turkey for nearly a decade, he became a prominent activist for fellow Syrian refugees. According to a source, after becoming frustrated with the Turkish government over the treatment of Syrian refugees, he filed an application for political asylum at the French consulate in Istanbul, using a rare exception granted by Paris to those who live outside the country. Most countries require individuals to arrive in the host country first before making such an application. He was given a visa and was scheduled to depart Turkey in early December but was taken into custody in November. A report, based on the court case, alleged that Katie was spreading misinformation on Syrian refugees to foreign TV channels, including an incident where he accused Turkish border guards of throwing fifty-five migrants into a river. The report says Katie was also accused of secretly obtaining personal biographical information based on the addresses of foreign citizens living in Turkey, then leaking it to the DGES. The French embassy in Ankara was contacted but declined to comment on the situation.

Turkey plans to continue its counter-espionage efforts, and over the past couple of months has had their hands full with three different foreign agencies. It is reasonable to ask, does Turkey have a spy problem?

Turkey’s Spy Problem: Mossad, the CPC, and France’s DGSE

The counter-espionage efforts by Turkish authorities

medium.com

 

[Asena_great]

traitor not only bad mouthing the country which saved him he also spying o Uyghur ?? we should have left him in Syria instead of taking him in

 

[Kartal1]

traitor not only bad mouthing the country which saved him he also spying o Uyghur ?? we should have left him in Syria instead of taking him in

These two are different cases. The identities of the ones spying on the Uyghur community are not disclosed yet.

 

[Saithan]

These two are different cases. The identities of the ones spying on the Uyghur community are not disclosed yet.

I think it’s important to let public know about these operations in general, like informing them. The more people are alert the harder it’ll be for these moles to operate. If people warcg put for each other, we’ll be more tightly knit. Doesn’t mean we have to jump to conclusions and go vigilanty.