Istanbul: The Turkish intelligence service announced the arrest of two individuals involved in working for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. The two men, identified as Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoglu, were apprehended in Istanbul.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Turkish security sources stated that the two men had been under surveillance by intelligence services for some time and were found to be passing information to Mossad. Derya, a mining engineer, founded his own company in 2005 and opened a marble quarry in the Silifke district of Mersin province in southern Turkey, eventually exporting his products to several countries, which drew the attention of Israeli intelligence.
They indicated that Derya contacted a person named “Ali Ahmed Yassin,” a pseudonym for an official in a front company established by Mossad. Yassin visited Derya at his office in 2012 and informed him of his company’s desire to collaborate, inviting him to a European country to meet those he described as the company’s managers.
The sources stated that Derya saw this as a business opportunity, so in 2013 he traveled to Europe and met with individuals from Mossad who presented themselves as the owners of a company. During these meetings, details of the marble trade were discussed. An Israeli intelligence operative, using the pseudonym “Louis,” emphasized to Derya the necessity of employing a Palestinian of Turkish origin, Veysel Kerimoglu.
Following Mossad’s instructions, Derya hired Kerimoglu, whose salary was paid by Israeli intelligence operatives, and their relationship developed into a friendship. Turkish security sources stated that Derya expanded his business activities in Middle Eastern countries with the help of Kerimoglu, establishing social and commercial ties with Palestinians opposed to Israeli policies in the region and passing on the information he gathered about them to Mossad.
According to the sources, Derya, who was seeking permission to enter the Gaza Strip, leveraged his business relationships established within the framework of Israel’s occupation policies in Gaza, sending photographs of warehouses he was searching for there to Israeli intelligence. In early 2016, Kerimoglu suggested to Derya that they enter the drone parts trade.
Derya kept Mossad informed of their every move, so he immediately reported the proposal to them. They approved the idea and provided the initial samples. Among those they attempted to sell drones to was Mohamed Zouari, who was assassinated by Israeli intelligence in Tunisia in 2016. The sources confirmed that Derya maintained his relationship with Israeli intelligence from 2013 until his arrest.