A Turkish court has begun to hear the trial of 20 defendants, 16 of whom are in pretrial detention, on charges of spying for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
The trial started at the İstanbul 26th High Criminal Court on Tuesday.
The indictment, drafted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, sought sentences from 18 years, nine months to 45 years for the defendants on charges of “repeated political or military espionage.”
According to the indictment, a Mossad unit, the Israeli Intelligence Service Online Operations Center, reached out to the defendants through job advertisements posted on communication apps and social media platforms to gather information about their targets. The document also states that the unit later contacted the defendants using seven different phone numbers associated with it.
No video or audio calls were reportedly made with the defendants; however, they were allegedly utilized to carry out tactical operations, including remote resource acquisition, research, reconnaissance, making photo and video recordings and even carrying out physical assaults, abductions, thefts and surveillance operations against people targeted by Israeli intelligence.
The indictment alleges that the defendants obtained confidential information, including the addresses and images of Palestinian citizens and individuals linked to Hamas targeted by Israeli intelligence and subsequently shared this information with Israeli intelligence officers. It also claims that the defendants were paid for their activities via bank transfers, cryptocurrency, and the Western Union financial services system.
The indictment states that efforts were made to locate and identify areas where individuals targeted by Israel were collectively residing, further assessing that “in the next stage, various actions could be carried out, including the execution or abduction of these individuals.”
Turkey’s national police department and the National Intelligence Organization conducted a series of operations earlier this year in which dozens of people suspected of planning kidnappings and engaging in espionage for Mossad were detained. Some of the detainees were later arrested.
These events have heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel as there were reports of Israel’s intention to target members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Turkey.
Turkey, unlike its NATO allies, does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and has warned of serious consequences if Israel targets Hamas members within its borders. This series of arrests and the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza have further strained relations between Turkey and Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been vocal in his condemnation of Israeli actions and policies.
Israel began assaulting the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after Hamas militants carried out an unprecedented surprise attack in Israel on October 7 that claimed some 1,200 lives and included the abduction of some 250 hostages.
Israeli air and ground attacks in Gaza have resulted in at least 43,972 deaths since October 7 according to the local health ministry in addition to causing massive destruction in the enclave.