Turkey arrests suspects linked to alleged Iranian plot in Istanbul

Turkish media outlets say at least 10 suspects have been arrested in a sting operation

The Blue Mosque in the historical Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. AP

Authorities in Turkey have reportedly arrested at least 10 suspects in connection with an alleged plot to kill and kidnap Israelis in Istanbul, including a former ambassador.

The arrests were made earlier this month but leaked details started emerging during this week’s visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to the Turkish capital Ankara.

The sting operation is said to have been carried out by a joint team from the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) and police in Istanbul.

Turkish media outlets have neither published the names or the gender of the suspects, nor elaborated on the specific role played by each of them, but some reports said that they included five Iranians and “local agents”.

The suspects posed as tourists, students and business people and the raids targeted three houses and a hotel in Istanbul's Beyoglu neighbourhood, which lies on the European side of Turkey’s commercial and cultural hub, Turkish daily Milliyet reported.

“The suspects include members of the Iranian intelligence service and the Revolutionary Guards,” it said, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which oversees Iran’s proxy operations and presence in countries in the region such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

The IRGC has a branch called Al Quds Force, which is responsible for carrying out foreign operations. The IRGC is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US.

On Thursday, Iran dismissed the chief of the Guards' intelligence unit, Hossein Taeb. The Islamic Republic has long accused Israel of hiring agents to sabotage its nuclear sites, and killing scientists and senior commanders inside Iran. Iran does not recognise Israel.

Israel has not denied or claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Turkish riot police officers patrol near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. AFP

Turkish investigations showed that targets of the alleged Iranian plot included a former Israeli ambassador and his wife, who were staying in a hotel in Istanbul, Milliyet reported.

Authorities thwarted the alleged plot in the planning phase, and raids were carried out on June 17, four days after Israel’s Counter Terrorism Bureau raised its Turkey travel advisory to the highest level because of what it said was a threat of Iranian attempts to kill or abduct Israelis on holiday there.

Flights with connections in Istanbul are excluded as long as Israelis do not leave the airport.

Israel said on Thursday that the travel warning will remain in force until further notice.

Turkey responded to the Israeli security warnings by assuring the world that it is a safe country.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, right, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid after a press conference in Ankara on Thursday. AP

Turkish authorities have seized at least four pistols, two silencers and “many bullets,” according to the Turkish news agency Ihlas, whose sources corroborated most of the details cited by Milliyet.

The reports coincided with a visit to Ankara on Thursday by the Israeli foreign minister as both countries seek an end to more than a decade of strained ties.

At a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Mr Lapid said a “huge effort” by Israel's security services had saved Israeli lives “in recent weeks”, and thanked the Turkish government for its contribution.

Mr Cavusoglu said Turkey “cannot permit these kinds of incidents taking place in our country”.

“We have delivered the necessary messages,” he said, without elaborating.