Seven people have been detained by Turkish authorities on suspicion of selling information to Israel’s Mossad intelligence service for the purpose of tracking and monitoring local targets. Turkey has previously warned Israel about pursuing Hamas members living outside Palestinian territories. The country does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization, unlike most of its Western allies and some Arab nations.
The joint operations conducted in Istanbul and Izmir by Turkish police and the country’s MIT intelligence agency are part of an investigation by the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office. The suspects are believed to have sought to monitor and photograph targets, place tracking devices on them, and gather other information for Mossad.
Ankara has not made any formal statement regarding the arrests, and the Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment on the matter. Last month, Turkish authorities detained 34 people suspected of being linked to Mossad and targeting Palestinians living in Turkey.
