The National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which has uncovered numerous collaborators involved in Mossad's espionage activities in Türkiye, has also dismantled Mossad's cell in Europe.
Eight members of a nine-person spy network were apprehended in Istanbul during an operation last April. Six of the suspects, led by Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı, the owner of an insurance company, were arrested for "obtaining state secrets for political or military espionage purposes."
Two suspects were released under judicial control. It was determined that one suspect of Lebanese origin is still at large. The suspects were found to have been tracking and photographing foreign nationals and passing information to Mossad.
Until now, MIT had always uncovered spies operating in Türkiye. However, with this operation coordinated by the Istanbul MIT Regional Directorate's Counterintelligence Department, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, and the Istanbul Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Division, MIT has for the first time dismantled a spy network operating in Europe.
The spy network used by Mossad dates back to 2011. A Mossad handler with the code name "Jorg," whose identity has not yet been determined, was living in Belgium. Posing as an assistant to a lawyer, "Jorg" first made contact with the head of the spy network, insurance company owner Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı, in 2011.
The communication between the two continued via email and Skype. Initially, "Jorg" was responsible for Tumlucalı. As time went on, a Mossad handler named "Gavin" took over the meetings with Tumlucalı.
At first, Jorg assigned Tumlucalı a simple research task and then called him for a meeting abroad. In 2011, Tumlucalı met with Jorg in Vienna, Austria, and on February 1, 2017, he met with Gavin in Frankfurt, Germany.
For security reasons, neither Mossad handler entered Türkiye. The meetings took place in third countries, sometimes in the lobbies of luxury hotels and sometimes in sushi restaurants.
The primary method used for sending information to Mossad officials abroad and establishing communication was an application called "Protonmail." Through this application, Word files could be encrypted, and it was very difficult for anyone other than the sender and receiver to access the content. Communication with Tumlucalı was also conducted through this method.
Gavin met with Tumlucalı and gave him instructions on November 15, 2017, in Berlin, Germany, on May 26, 2018, in Zurich, Switzerland, and on April 19, 2019, in Vienna, Austria. The contact between Tumlucalı and Mossad continued until the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Tumlucalı and his team conducted surveillance and espionage operations not only in Europe but also in Georgia and Lebanon, delivering the documents they obtained to Mossad officials. In Türkiye, they tracked and photographed three foreign nationals targeted by Israel, providing the information to Mossad.
It was found that among the 9-person team of Tumlucalı, his wife Benan Tumlucalı, stepdaughter Dila Sultan Şimşek, son Erkan Tumlucalı, and sister-in-law Berna Çetin were included. A common characteristic of this team was their somehow having connections to Germany.
His stepdaughter, son, and sister-in-law were born and raised in Germany. His wife and himself were born in Türkiye but raised in Germany. One of the main reasons Mossad chose Tumlucalı was his ability to move around Europe freely.
Tumlucalı received support from his wife, Benan Tumlucalı, in reporting surveillance activities. In fact, he personally passed on the reports prepared by Benan Tumlucalı to Mossad handlers named Jorg and Gavin.
At Mossad's instruction, Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı's team conducted surveillance activities in Georgia on February 23-27, 2019, and April 2-9, 2019. Footage of him playing at a casino was captured and provided to Mossad.
In Germany, he had his friend Andy Grutko, who lives in Switzerland, track the targets of Mossad. In Lebanon, he obtained access to official documents and provided them to Mossad handlers.
It was determined that a foreign national, who was a target of Mossad, was tracked and photographed by Tumlucalı upon arriving in Istanbul, and the information was passed on to Mossad handlers. It was also found that Tumlucalı's wife and daughter accompanied him to the hotel where the target individual was staying in Taksim, and they stayed at the same hotel, secretly photographing the target individual.
Mossad made payments to Tumlucalı for the surveillance operations during their meetings abroad, handing them to him in person.
While the exact amount of the payments made in person is unknown, the payments received through bank transfers were deposited into the bank account of Axom International Research and Consultancy Services Company between 2011 and 2014, and into the bank accounts of Ahmet Ersin Tumlucalı's wife, Benan Tumlucalı, between 2014 and 2019.
Mossad transferred a total of 300,000 euros to Tumlucalı's bank account for all espionage activities. It was also learned that the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is ongoing.
