Daily Sabah: Shady Palestinian figure Dahlan linked to Mossad spies

Businessperson Mohammed Yusuf Dahlan, who has been on Türkiye's most wanted terrorist list since 2019, was in close contact with some of the Mossad suspects captured in Türkiye earlier this week.

In a joint operation, Turkish police and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) on Tuesday detained 34 people in eight provinces as part of the latest investigation into the Israeli intelligence agency's alleged plot targeting foreigners in the country.

The investigation found that a vast spy ring was behind Mossad activities targeting Palestinians and activists of Israeli origin residing in Türkiye.

The group, which contacted Mossad operatives via social media, would conduct reconnaissance, assaults and attempt abductions for Israeli intelligence.

According to Sabah, Dahlan, code-named "Abu Fadi" and currently living in exile in Serbia, was among those the suspects were in touch with via social media.

Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç on Thursday revealed authorities also discovered more than 143,000 euros ($157,300) and over $23,000 in the possession of suspects, along with one pistol and a large amount of munitions.

He said that authorities are still searching for 12 others at large, noting that over 100 people have been investigated so far.

Currently, 46 people are subject to legal proceedings, 25 suspects remain in custody, and all are still being interrogated.

No further details were available regarding the investigation except that the spy ring consisted mostly of Arab nationals and was being managed by a special Mossad unit based in Tel Aviv dedicated to surveilling the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Dahlan himself is wanted by Türkiye for his links to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and his role in FETÖ's July 15, 2016 coup attempt, which led to the deaths of 251 people.
He was also probed for alleged connections to the UAE spy network in Türkiye and attempting to destabilize the country in cooperation with Israel.

The former security chief for the Palestinian Authority (PA), known as the "hitman" of the Middle East, Dahlan was the main mediator between the UAE government and an assassination squad in Yemen.

He was expelled from Fatah in 2011 over claims that he poisoned then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. A year later, a nine-month investigation revealed that traces of radioactive polonium poison were found on the deceased Arafat's belongings.

Dahlan owns media outlets in the UAE, Egypt and Jordan. He is also accused of being behind the 2013 coup in Egypt, which toppled the country's first democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi.