44 Israeli Mossad spies arrested in Turkey: Reports

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44 people were arrested in Istanbul, charged with espionage on behalf of Israeli Mossad, Turkish media reports said.

The suspects spied on Palestinian individuals, institutions, and NGOs in Turkey.

Ismail Yetimolu, the founding president of the Private Detectives Association, which was established in 2007, is one of those being held. The pursuit of 13 individuals who are still at large is ongoing, the reports added.

With the information given by the suspects, including that some of the "consulting" companies' employees are secretly involved in private detective work, it was discovered that the individuals in question, whose data was given to the Mossad, had been the target of threats and defamation campaigns.

Last October, Turkish media reported that Turkish intelligence dismantled an espionage network for the Israeli Mossad that included 15 Arab nationals.

At the time, media reports also stressed that the suspects were relaying information and providing documents to the Israeli spy agency, especially on Palestinian students enrolled in Turkish universities and those who could possibly work in the defense industry in the future.

Earlier in November, Israeli occupation PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan highlighted the importance of bilateral relations based on mutual interests, and discussed a new "era" in relations between them.

"Highlighting the beginning of a new era in Turkey-'Israel' relations thanks to the strong will displayed by both sides, President Erdogan said that it was in the shared interest of Turkey and 'Israel' to maintain the relations by respecting sensitivities on the basis of mutual interests," the message read.