Turkish intelligence thwarts Mossad operation to arrest Palestinian hacker: reports
In a recent development, Turkish intelligence reportedly foiled an extensive operation orchestrated by the Israeli Occupation intelligence agency "Mossad."
The mission, spanning several years, aimed to apprehend a Palestinian hacker known as "Omar A," responsible for disrupting the "Iron Dome" system, according to Turkish newspaper Sabah.
Omar A, born in 1991 and a graduate of the Computer Programming Department at the Islamic University of Gaza, successfully disabled the "Iron Dome" air defense system multiple times in 2015 and 2016, as revealed by security and intelligence sources.
The report outlines Mossad's persistent efforts to apprehend Omar, including job offers and attempts to lure him out of Turkey. In 2019, Omar rejected job offers from a Norwegian company, suspecting Mossad involvement after refusing a video interview.
In 2020, Omar relocated to Istanbul, offering online programming lessons. Mossad, monitoring his activities, deployed an agent named Riad Ghazal to contact him in April 2021 under the guise of an official from the French company "ThinkHire."
Subsequent meetings took place in Istanbul between Ghazal and Omar, discussing work projects before the task was passed to another agent, Omar Shalabi. The ultimate goal was to secure Omar's transfer to Europe for subsequent kidnapping to Tel Aviv.
Despite temptations, Omar resisted offers and attempts to learn about his residence. Turkish intelligence intervened in 2022, preventing him from leaving the country.
In September 2022, Omar planned a tourist trip to Malaysia, prompting Mossad to kidnap him on September 28. Held in a rural house near Kuala Lumpur, he endured 36 hours of torture and interrogation by Tel Aviv intelligence officials via video conference.
Turkish intelligence, aware of Omar's location, informed Malaysian authorities, resulting in his rescue and the arrest of 11 individuals involved in his kidnapping. Omar was brought back to Turkey, where Turkish intelligence provided a safe house for him to continue his work.
