Turkey arrests alleged Mossad financial operative

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey arrested a Kosovan national accused of managing the financial network of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency in the country, the Turkish intelligence organisation said on Tuesday.

Liridon Rexhepi was detained in Istanbul on Aug. 30, suspected of transferring funds to Mossad personnel operating in Turkey, the Turkish intelligence agency MIT said.

Turkey, which has denounced Israel for its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, has this year detained more than 20 people suspected of having ties to Mossad.

Rexhepi had been under surveillance since his entry into Turkey on Aug. 25, the MIT statement said. He is alleged to have facilitated financial transfers from eastern European countries, primarily Kosovo, to Mossad agents in Turkey.

The statement said the funds transferred by Rexhepi were reportedly used for intelligence gathering in Syria, conducting psychological operations against Palestinians, and coordinating drone-related operations.

Rexhepi used money transfer services to move funds into Turkey. Once in the country, the funds were distributed to field operatives who, in turn, channelled some of the money to assets in Syria, often utilising cryptocurrency for these transactions, the sources said.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Daren Butler and Ed Osmond)

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