Arrest of a Mossad Agent in Istanbul by Turkish Intelligence
The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), in a joint operation with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Security Directorate, arrested an individual named Serkan Çiçek on charges of collaborating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
According to security sources, the operation, codenamed “Metron”, was carried out with the support of the Istanbul Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit.
MIT’s investigation revealed that Çiçek was in contact with Faysal Rashid, a member of Mossad’s online operations center, and had agreed to spy on a Palestinian activist in Istanbul who opposed Israel’s policies.
Further inquiries showed that Serkan Çiçek’s real name is Mehmet Fatih Keleş. Due to heavy debts, he had changed his name and, since 2020, had been working in the field of private investigation after establishing a company called “Pandora Detective Agency.”
Çiçek had previously become acquainted with Musa Koş (who was sentenced to 19 years in prison for spying on behalf of Israel) and lawyer Tuğrulhan Dip, and had collaborated with both in his investigative activities. These connections drew Mossad’s attention to him.
Mossad operative Faysal Rashid, introducing himself as an employee of a foreign law office, contacted Çiçek via WhatsApp on July 31. He asked him to monitor a Palestinian activist living in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district for four days. In return, Rashid paid him 4,000 US dollars in cryptocurrency.
After conducting online research, Çiçek realized that the target was indeed a Palestinian activist. Despite being aware of Musa Koş’s fate, he accepted Rashid’s offer and attempted to gather intelligence for Mossad. On August 1 and 2, he entered the residential complex of the target under the pretext of viewing a rental property, but failed to obtain the requested information.
Following this failure, Rashid cut off contact with Çiçek on August 3.
