10.02.2026 01:23
Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, who were detained as part of an investigation into allegations of operating on behalf of the Israeli intelligence service, have been arrested. Details regarding the suspects' long-standing connections with Mossad emerged in the prosecutor's referral letter.
Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, who were detained on the grounds of working for the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, have been arrested.
It was determined that Mehmet Budak Derya and Veysel Kerimoğlu, who were arrested on the allegation of conducting activities on behalf of the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, had been in contact since 2013 and had numerous message records in their digital materials.
It was stated that the suspects, who had been under surveillance for a while, were captured and arrested through a joint operation of the National Intelligence Organization, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Istanbul Provincial Police Department. In the prosecutor's referral letter, it was noted that the suspects had established a long-standing and multi-layered relationship network with Mossad.
FIRST CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH A TRADE OFFER
According to the referral letter, Mehmet Budak Derya contacted an Arab national with the code name "Ali Ahmed Yassin," who introduced himself as an official of a company based in Austria, on the phone on September 20, 2012. It was reported that Derya met with Yassin in his office on September 25, 2012, and after this contact, he met with Israeli intelligence personnel with the code names "Luis," "Jesus-Jose," and "Dr. Roberto-Ricardo" in Rome on January 9, 2013.
CONTACT WITH MOSSAD DEEPENED IN 2013
In the prosecutor's letter, it was stated that Derya traveled to Lebanon in February 2013, attempted to establish contact with Veysel Kerimoğlu through Yassin's reference, and that the first face-to-face contact took place in Turkey on April 1, 2013. It was expressed that Derya regularly reported these meetings to Mossad personnel.
CASH PAYMENTS AND SECRET COMMUNICATION
It was recorded that Derya hired Kerimoğlu in his own company at the instruction of Israeli intelligence agent "Luis," and in return, he received a total of 18,000 euros in cash payments in Spain and Rome in 2013. Additionally, it was stated that Derya was provided with a micro SD card, a special phone, and a computer for secret communication, and that he transmitted information to Mossad through this system.
LIE DETECTOR, OVERSEAS MEETINGS, AND GAZA INITIATIVES
It was reported that Derya met with Mossad personnel multiple times in Greece, Austria, Slovakia, and Italy between 2015 and 2020, and that he was subjected to a lie detector test in Thailand in 2016. During the same period, it was noted that information was collected through commercial and social relations established with Palestinian activists, and attempts were made to enter Gaza and secure storage.
KERIMOĞLU'S ACTIVITIES
It was stated that Veysel Kerimoğlu conveyed the idea of trading drone parts to Mossad, held numerous meetings in European countries and Lebanon between 2018 and 2025, and provided serial numbers and technical information to Israeli intelligence by supplying GSM lines, modems, and router devices. It was recorded that Kerimoğlu received approximately 60,000 euros in payment for these activities.
It was reported that the suspects' digital materials contained numerous foreign lines, operational phones, encrypted applications, and "task lists," and that the correspondence included references to Gaza, Tunisia, Syria, and some assassinations. It was stated that digital examinations were ongoing, the investigation would be deepened, and new suspects could emerge.