Türkiye Arrests Head of Mossad’s Financial Network
Turkish authorities arrest Israeli spy, Sept. 3, 2024. Photo: X/ @HaberturkTV
September 3, 2024 Hour: 10:19 am
In December 2023, the Erdogan administration launched a raid to arrest 68 suspected Mossad collaborators.
On Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported that Turkish authorities have arrested Liridon Rexhepi, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency’s financial network in Türkiye.
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On Aug. 30, Istanbul police detained Rexhepi in connection with the allegations of transferring money on behalf of Mossad during an operation. Rexhepi was formally arrested after a court hearing, during which he admitted to the charges.
The Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) had been monitoring Rexhepi since his entry into the country on Aug. 25. MIT’s investigation revealed that Rexhepi managed financial operations for Mossad and transferred significant amounts of money repeatedly via Western Union to field agents in Türkiye.
Rexhepi was also found to have conducted drone surveillance and psychological operations targeting Palestinian politicians. MIT discovered that Mossad was transferring funds to its field agents in Türkiye, primarily from Kosovo and other Eastern European countries.
The financial tracking revealed that the funds from Kosovo were being transferred by Mossad’s field agents in Türkiye to sources in Syria via Western Union and cryptocurrency.
While Turkey has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel since its founding, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government maintains friendly ties with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, whose leaders once had offices in the Eurasian country.
Turkey has warned Israel that it will not allow Israeli intelligence operations against Palestinian groups on its territory. In December 2023, the Erdogan administration launched a raid to arrest 68 suspected Mossad collaborators. In February, another nine Israeli secret service agents were arrested on charges of tracking potential attack targets.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: Xinhua – EFE
