Turkish court sentences family to 100 years for spying for "Israel"

A Turkish court has handed down prison sentences totaling 100 years to a group accused of spying for the Mossad, "Israel’s" national intelligence agency.

The 23rd Heavy Penal Court in Istanbul convicted six individuals, including an entire family, of working on behalf of Mossad. The ruling follows a months-long investigation and a sweeping operation carried out last April by Turkiye’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), which identified the group’s alleged role in tracking and collecting information on selected individuals — particularly foreign nationals — within the country.

Ahmet Ersin Tumlucali, an insurance company owner described by prosecutors as the ringleader of the network, received a sentence of 22.5 years, later reduced to 18 years and nine months due to "good behavior." His wife, Benan Tumlucali, was given 16 years and eight months, while their daughter, Dila Sultan Simsek, received a sentence of 15 years, seven months, and 15 days.

Three additional suspects, reportedly tied to the same operation, were also sentenced to over 15 years each.

According to the indictment, the defendants were allegedly operating under a Mossad unit focused on digital intelligence work, including surveillance photography and tracking individuals believed to be of interest to the "Israeli" agency. Some of their reported targets included foreign nationals who had fled conflict zones and sought refuge in Turkiye.

“It is understood that the suspects were engaged in acts of obtaining information about foreigners in the country, particularly those who fled their home countries due to conflicts and shared this intelligence,” prosecutors stated in the court documents.