Turkish news outlets reported that six individuals, including three members of the same family, have been handed lengthy prison sentences totaling 100 years for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel’s Mossad. The charges centered around espionage activities and intelligence collection against specific individuals.
The arrests were initially made in April 2024 by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which had been monitoring the group in Istanbul before launching a coordinated operation to detain eight suspects.
Among those sentenced was Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı, an insurance company executive, who was identified as the ringleader. He was found guilty of directing a network of operatives, including members of his own household, and was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison.
Following deliberation, Istanbul’s 23rd Heavy Penal Court reduced Tumlucalı’s sentence to 18 years and nine months, citing “good behavior” as the reason for leniency.
His wife, Benan Tumlucalı, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months, while her daughter from a previous marriage, Dila Sultan Şimşek, received a prison term of 15 years, seven months, and 15 days.
The court also handed identical sentences—15 years, seven months, and 15 days each—to three other individuals implicated in the case: Cem Ozcan, Ozkan Arican, and Fuzuli Simsek.
Authorities claimed that the group operated on behalf of Mossad and collected sensitive intelligence. Prosecutors alleged they were affiliated with Mossad’s “online operations” division and were responsible for photographing and monitoring persons of interest inside Turkey.
The official charge sheet stated, “the suspects were engaged in acts of obtaining information about foreigners in the country, particularly those who fled their home countries due to conflicts and shared this intelligence with (Mossad).”
Investigators alleged that Tumlucalı maintained contact with a Mossad handler known only by the alias “Jorg,” and that they used Skype for communication. Their meetings reportedly took place in Vienna and Munich in 2011 and 2017.
Another Israeli intelligence officer, Gavin Alfron, was also named in the case. Tumlucalı is said to have met with Alfron multiple times in Vienna and Frankfurt between 2017 and 2020, at which point Mossad reportedly ended their arrangement.
In addition to intelligence activities within Turkey, Tumlucalı is accused of operating in Georgia and Germany, and allegedly supplied Israel with “some official documents from Lebanon.”
The group is believed to have targeted individuals of Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian, and Azerbaijani origin. Authorities claim that Tumlucalı’s wife, stepdaughter, and sister-in-law, Berna Çetin, were actively involved in the surveillance missions.
{Matzav.com}