A lawyer representing the family of a Kosovo man arrested in Turkey for allegedly transferring money to Mossad operatives insisted that the suspect is innocent and is willing to cooperate in the investigation. The suspect, identified as Liridon Rexhepi, entered Turkey on August 25 and was detained and formally arrested last Friday. Reports indicate that he confessed during interrogation to conducting the money transfers. Turkish authorities have detained several individuals since January on charges of collecting data on individuals, mainly Palestinians in Turkey, for Israeli intelligence purposes. Israel has not commented on these arrests in Turkey.

In Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, lawyer Arianit Koci stated that Rexhepi’s family is shocked by his arrest and is certain of his innocence. Koci expressed the family’s readiness to fully cooperate with the authorities. Due to the case’s sensitivity, Koci mentioned that currently, there is no additional information to share publicly. He emphasized on Facebook that both the family and Rexhepi have no involvement in the alleged charges.

Since the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has strongly criticized Israel’s military actions and praised Palestinian Hamas militants as a liberation group. In May, Turkey ceased all trade with Israel and applied to participate in a genocide case against Israel at an international court.