Turkey charges Mossad 'financier' with espionage against the state

Case of spy agency backer comes amid major downturn in relations with Israel

Liridon Rexhepi entered Turkey on August 25 and was arrested five days later in Istanbul. Photo: Turkish security services

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Turkish authorities have charged a Kosovan national with "espionage against the state" after he channelled funds to agents for Israel’s external spy agency Mossad, according to two security officials and state media, in a case likely to further strain relations between the two countries.

Liridon Rexhepi entered Turkey on August 25 and was arrested five days later in Istanbul by a counter-terrorism unit, following work by the Turkish intelligence service MIT. He is being remanded in custody awaiting trial and sentencing, a Turkish security source told The National.

"MIT determined that Liridon Rexhepi was the person who managed Mossad's money network in Turkey," the source said.

A second Turkish security source confirmed to The National that Mr Rexhepi has been charged with "espionage against the state," after authorities concluded that he transferred money to Mossad field agents in Turkey who were operating drones, conducting “psychological operations” against Palestinian politicians and compiling information about Syria for Israel. He admitted to making money transfers in a statement to the police, one of the sources added.

“As a result of operations conducted by the National Intelligence Organisation, it was determined that Mossad provided money transfers to its field personnel in Turkey from Eastern European countries, especially Kosovo,” one of the sources said. Wires of unspecified amounts were made through Western Union, the source said, while other transactions involving agents in Syria used cryptocurrency. It was not clear when the transactions were made or over what period of time they continued.

In a statement, Istanbul's counter-terrorism directorate also said that Rexhepi held meetings with Israeli intelligence agents, "collected information and documents about individuals targeted by the Israeli intelligence service in Turkey", and "took photographs, videos and drone shots" at targets' homes.

A second individual identified only as Y. B. was detained at the same time as Rexhepi, but was later released, the statement added. The counter-terrorism directorate released video of the arrest operation, showing police officers leading two handcuffed men into an unmarked vehicle.

The Israeli embassy in Ankara has declined to comment.

Relations between Turkey and Israel have soured dramatically since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the war in Gaza. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders have voiced support for Hamas and criticised Israel's conduct in its military operations, which have killed more than 40,800 people in the Palestinian enclave since the war began.

Turkey banned trade with Israel in May over the war and Mr Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have traded barbs on social media.

Israeli officials have criticised the Turkish government for hosting Hamas members in the country and said the trade ban harms companies from both countries. Before the war, the two nations shared trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars a month and had been rebuilding bilateral relations bruised by previous rifts. Despite the current fallout, Israel and Turkey have not cut their diplomatic ties.

The Turkish government has come under significant public pressure over its ties with Israel. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Istanbul on Sunday to demand a boycott of companies they accuse of supporting Israel, and last week activists, including Palestinians, were arrested in the same city for protesting against Azerbaijani oil exports to Israel, which flow through a pipeline across Turkey before being shipped over the Mediterranean Sea, the demonstrators said.

Turkey has conducted previous operations to arrest alleged operatives from Mossad and other countries' intelligence services.

“The publication of stories about supposedly Mossad agents being arrested in Turkey are on the rise in recent years,” Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, told The National.

“They are a reflection of the sharp deterioration in the relations between Turkey and Israel and that the countries have fewer shared interests and hence it is also less important to maintain working security co-operation.”

This year, Turkish security forces announced they had arrested about three dozen people across the country accused of spying for Israel. Turkish police and intelligence forces raided 57 sites across eight provinces, apprehending 33 people suspected of working for Mossad.

“Obviously, such stories are also meant to be embarrassing for Israel,” Ms Lindenstrauss said. “In previous instances, Israel did not respond to the allegations and this is likely to be the case this time.”