The Istanbul 28th High Criminal Court has sentenced 37 individuals for espionage linked to the Israeli intelligence service. Two defendants, Ahmet Koray Özgürün and Alperen Erkut, received 8 years and 4 months for “procuring prohibited information for espionage purposes,” while 35 others were sentenced to 6 years and 8 months. The court also imposed a travel ban on the 35 convicted individuals. Nineteen other defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The indictment revealed that the Israeli intelligence service operated a remote team targeting Palestinian activists in Türkiye, using encrypted communication tools like Telegram and WhatsApp, and transferred payments through international money transfers, cryptocurrencies, and live couriers. The espionage activities involved collecting biographical data, surveillance, and placing tracking devices, with the agents aware of the national security risks their actions posed.