Turkish intelligence arrests suspected Mossad spy in Istanbul

Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), in coordination with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Istanbul Police Department’s Anti-Terrorism Branch, has arrested Serkan Cicek, also known by his real name Muhammet Fatih Keles, for allegedly working with Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

MIT’s investigation revealed that Cicek was in contact with Faysal Rasheed, a member of Israel’s Online Operations Center, who posed as personnel from a foreign law firm via WhatsApp. Rasheed allegedly tasked Cicek with conducting four days of surveillance on a Palestinian activist living in Istanbul’s Başakşehir district, known for his criticism of Israeli policies in the Middle East. Cicek reportedly received $4,000 in cryptocurrency for the assignment.

Authorities noted that Cicek had changed his identity after accumulating substantial business debts. Following the name change, he abandoned commerce and founded Pandora Detective Agency in 2020, working as a private investigator. During this period, he collaborated with Musa Kus and attorney Tugrulhan Dip; Kus, now imprisoned for espionage for Israel, had assisted in obtaining personal data from public records in exchange for financial benefit.

Despite knowing Kus’s fate, Cicek accepted the Mossad assignment. He was arrested after attempting to locate the activist in a residential complex, an operation closely monitored by MIT.