A Turkish-born Maltese citizen was recently arrested by Turkish authorities after they accused him of heading an Israeli espionage cell.

Selçuk Küçükkaya is believed to have led a 15-person espionage operation that saw  him track and report on 23 individuals and one company, according to Turkish media reports.

Sabah, a daily Turkish newspaper, reported that Küçükkaya was arrested by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) due to his alleged connections with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.

Born in Turkey, Küçükkaya has previously lived in Swieqi and Sliema, obtaining a Maltese citizenship through a marriage that would end by 2013, court documents show.

The Maltese police is believed to have been informed of the arrest. Malta’s Ambassador to Turkey Theresa Cutajar said the embassy had not been contacted by either Küçükkaya or his lawyer.

“We don’t even know where he was arrested,” she said, explaining that Küçükkaya must be the one to reach out to the embassy if he needed help.

In its report, the pro-government paper says that Küçükkaya was trained by Mossad across several European countries after meeting with its executives in person.

The reports said Küçükkaya was taught how to spy on the Israeli organisation’s targets in Rome, Belgrade, Vienna and Amsterdam and also learnt how to communicate in their coded language as he met face-to-face with Mossad members.

Tasked with spying and gathering intelligence on one company and 23 individuals with trade ties to Iran, Küçükkaya watched their homes, workplaces and kept an eye on the targets’ families, the reports said.

As he watched, Küçükkaya leaked information to Mossad about the flights they were taking, phone conversations, bank accounts and their assets, information that was primarily used in divorce cases, Sabah said.

However, what led to Küçükkaya’s capture was a threatening package he allegedly mailed to one of his targets. The package was sent to a target who has been known to have trade relations with Iran, the paper reported, and contained two white roses and a single lead bullet. None of the claims could be verified by Times of Malta.

Iran and Israel have had a tenuous political and religious relationship since 1979 following the Iranian revolution.

Since then, many accusations have been levied by the Iranian government against Israel and its espionage agencies including claims that Mossad had infiltrated the country’s intelligence ministry in 2021.

Küçükkaya was initially arrested a year ago along with his assistant following investigations into the threat, Sabah journalist Mustafa Sait Özkan told Times of Malta.

After a few months in prison, Küçükkaya was released but authorities kept looking into the matter, he said, digging through his phone and travel records. The investigation led authorities to believe that Küçükkaya had connections with Mossad, prompting them to arrest him two months ago, this time accusing him of being a spy.

Authorities were able to then track down and arrest 11 members of the 15-strong team, Özkan said.

According to Sabah, two members of the cell fled the authorities and are currently being pursued by MIT.

The connections with Malta

Küçükkaya’s ties to Malta date back to at least 1998 when he opened a company called Censu Collection Company Limited, according to documents.

Shareholder and director Küçükkaya originally signed documents using a passport number, however, by 2001, he obtained Maltese citizenship and used his new ID card on future papers.

Küçükkaya obtained his citizenship through marriage but, by 2013, Küçükkaya and his partner had separated. In 2009, Küçükkaya registered three word-based trademarks in Malta. All registered on the same day, one trademarked the term ‘Malta Cultural Association’ while the second registered its Turkish translation (Malta Kültür Dernegi).

Küçükkaya’s final trademark was for the term ‘English Time’. All were filed under educational and cultural activities.

During his time in Malta, Küçükkaya was involved in another business, Global Sales Limited. In 2010, when the company was founded, both Küçükkaya and his then-wife were shareholders of the company.

While Censu Collection’s primary trade was listed as importation, exportation and retail or wholesale transactions, Global Sales was listed as a business that would aid tourists specifically from Europe and the Middle East.

Both companies are no longer in operation.