- 34 people linked to Mossad were detained after raids across Turkey
- Turkey claims Mossad paid recruits through untraceable crypto, live couriers
Turkish authorities have accused Israel’s intelligence service Mossad of using crypto to recruit spies in Turkey and find and kidnap Palestinians living in the country, the Financial Times reported. According to Turkey’s interior minister Ali Yerlikay, 34 people linked to Mossad were detained after nationwide raids.
Suspects accused of recon, assault, kidnapping
A Turkish official commented that the detainees were accused of taking part in reconnaissance, assault, surveillance, and kidnapping plots and/or operations targeting foreign nationals in Turkey on behalf of the Israeli intel service.
According to media reports, the Turkish official claimed Mossad paid the recruits through crypto, middlemen, and live couriers so the funds would be untraceable.
Allegedly, Mossad posted job ads online, asking new recruits to take photos of targets, help Mossad agents, and plant cars with GPS devices. Reportedly, Mossad provided the suspects with training abroad and kept in touch with them regularly through encrypted messaging platforms.
Escalating tension between Israel and Turkey
Counterintelligence and counterterrorism agencies conducted the raids. Reportedly, authorities confiscated the amount of $165,100, an unlicensed weapon, and digital materials.
Israel-Turkey tensions have escalated since the war broke out in Gaza. In December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israel would pay a “heavy price” if it tried to kill Hamas members in Turkey, as they were not terrorists according to Turkish authorities.
The president has drawn parallels between Benjamin Netanyahu and Adolf Hitler, but Netanyahu struck back, calling Erdoğan out for hypocrisy. According to the PM of Israel, the Turkish president condoned the massacre of the Kurds and holds the “world record for imprisoning journalists.”
The role of crypto in the Gaza conflict
The massacre in Gaza intensified US legislators’ attacks on crypto after reports that Hamas and other militant groups had received financing via digital currencies. In October last year, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren got a fresh push to pass a bill that would impose new anti-money laundering rules on the industry.
In November, bipartisan House of Representatives lawmakers began probing the value of the digital assets owned by Hamas after the terrorist group attacked Israel.
