MIT: Turkey arrests 14 people who tried to kidnap an Iranian opponent
Shafaq News/ The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced the arrest of 14 people on suspicion of collaborating with Iranian intelligence to kidnap an opponent of the Iranian regime from Turkey.
According to Anadolu News Agency, the Cell includes Ihsan Seghlam, a defense industries company owner, and his worker, Morteza Sultan Sanjali.
Saglam Defense Industries, owned by Ihsan Seghlam, also has branches in Jordan, Hungary, Pakistan, Congo, and Kuwait.
The full identity of the person who was to be kidnapped was not revealed. Still, Turkish media reported that he is an opponent of the Iranian regime and lives in the coastal city of Zonguldak on the Black Sea.
According to what Turkish media reported, this Iranian has long been a target of the Iranian security services. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence sent "Ali Qahraman Hajiabad" to Istanbul to arrange his kidnapping. Hajiabad returned to Iran after taking measures for the operation and recruiting elements to participate.
The Turkish media mentioned the name of an Iranian citizen, "Mortaza Sultan Singli" who works in Istanbul as one of the most critical links in this process.
According to the plan, Saglam agreed with retired officers, a prosecutor, non-commissioned officers, and a police officer to participate in the kidnapping and included a former Chinese officer in the network.
Turkish media reports named "David Yilmaz, a prosecutor in the Asian part of Istanbul with close ties to Ihsan Sağlam, as a team member and was supposed to use his judicial powers to carry out the operation."
Davut Yilmaz has previously held positions in Turkey, such as the Prosecutor of Gızıltepe in Mardin Province and the Prosecutor of the city of Çeme. Since 2019 he was appointed the first prosecutor in Anadolu District in Istanbul.
According to the media, on January 20, the Iranian intelligence man, Morteza Sultan Sanjali, went to the city of Zonguldak, the place of residence of the Iranian dissident, to finalize the plan to kidnap him. Still, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence informed him that he and his team are under observation and monitoring. Therefore, the operation must be canceled, but He was arrested by Turkish intelligence and interrogated by the anti-terror branch in Istanbul. Turkish intelligence also detained other members of the network.
Now, 17 accused members of the network were handed over to the Caglayan Court in Istanbul after being interrogated on charges of political espionage by the Istanbul Intelligence Directorate.
