Politics
Turkish suspect in kidnapping of Syrian defectors faces life in prison
An indictment by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara asks prison terms of between 35 years and life for Önder Sığırcıkoğlu, a former intelligence personnel accused of abducting two Syrian defectors and handing them over to the Baathist regime in Syria.
Sığırcıkoğlu was captured on the Syrian-Lebanese border, the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) announced in March, in a joint operation with the post-Baathist Syrian intelligence.
He was accused of kidnapping Hussein Harmoush and Mustafa Kassoum, two commanders of the opposition Free Syrian Army, at the height of the Syrian civil war and handing them over to the oppressive Assad regime. Harmoush later died of torture by the Baathist regime. Sığırcıkoğlu was sentenced in 2013 to 20 years in prison for “deprivation of liberty through force, threat, or deceit,” but he escaped from Osmaniye prison in southern Türkiye, where he was held in 2014. Subsequent investigation discovered that suspects linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) helped him escape.
The indictment against him, released on Wednesday, charges Sığırcıkoğlu with political espionage. It says the suspect lived in several regions of Syria between 2014 and 2024, under the protection of the Assad regime and supplied information about MIT to Russian intelligence during that period.
In the indictment, it was stated that between the years 2014–2016, the defendant acted in concert with Mihraç Ural, the ringleader of the THKP-C/Acilciler terrorist group, and Yusuf Nazik, the perpetrator of the terror attack in the southern Turkish town of Reyhanlı, who was captured in 2018, and that during that period, he conducted a black propaganda campaign against Türkiye by giving interviews.
The indictment says that following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Sığırcıkoğlu first fled to Lebanon, then to Russia, and after living in Russia for a while, returned to Lebanon, where he was captured at the Syrian-Lebanese border.
In the indictment, which states that the defendant transferred information to foreign intelligence services that should have remained confidential for the security, internal, and external political interests of the State of the Republic of Türkiye, the following findings were included: “It has been understood that Sığırcıkoğlu began working within MIT in 1993, worked at this institution until 2012, and following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, was assigned to the refugee camps in the Yayladağı district of Hatay. It was determined that the defendant began transferring the information of Assad regime opponent refugees, which should have remained confidential for the interests of the state, along with institutional studies and MIT reports to the (Assad) regime intelligence, using the convenience provided by his duty to collect them.”
“It was determined that the defendant recorded his meeting with a Syrian tribal leader using a pen capable of audio and video recording and delivered it to Syrian intelligence, and that he ensured that Free Syrian Army (FSA) commanders Hormoush and Kassoum, with whom he established contact due to his duties, were abducted from Hatay in 2011 and delivered to the Syrian regime. It was established that while the suspect, whose actions contrary to Türkiye’s international positioning led the Assad regime to display force against opponents and put psychological pressure on refugees, was serving his sentence resulting from this incident, he took advantage of the travel permit granted in 2014 to report to an open prison, fled to Syria, and was welcomed there by regime intelligence.”
In the indictment, which states that Sığırcıkoğlu operated as an intelligence operative in various parts of Syria using the means allocated to him by the Assad regime after fleeing to Syria, it was reported that the defendant gave various information about MIT that should have remained confidential and, aiming to prove his loyalty to the regime, disclosed the names of some MIT personnel in an interview he gave to a journalist.
The Turkish Naval Forces Command will begin its Sea Wolf-2/2026 (“Denizkurdu”) exercise on Thursday, conducting large-scale operations across the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean until June 14.
The exercise will involve 125 naval assets, 60 aircraft and approximately 18,000 personnel from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), including land, naval, air, gendarmerie, coast guard and special forces units, Rear Adm. Alper Doğukanlı said during a briefing at the Naval Warfare Center Command in Gölcük.
Doğukanlı said the drill aims to evaluate the operational command and control capabilities of naval units, enhance combat readiness and improve decision-making skills in a multi-threat environment while testing interoperability among participating forces.
According to the exercise schedule, combat readiness activities and live-fire training will take place from June 4-6, followed by operational scenarios in a multi-threat environment from June 7-10.
A distinguished visitors day will be held in the Gulf of Antalya on June 11, while port visits by participating vessels between June 12 and 14 will conclude the exercise.
The drill will also include the participation of several civilian institutions, including Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, the National Medical Rescue Team, the General Directorate of Forestry and the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay).
A series of live-fire demonstrations featuring domestically developed defense systems are planned during the exercise. Doğukanlı said the distinguished visitors day will include launches of the ATMACA anti-ship missile, the AKYA heavyweight torpedo and the HISAR-D naval air defense missile.
Naval helicopters will also conduct firing exercises with Penguin and TEMREN missiles as well as training torpedoes.
Bayraktar TB3 armed unmanned aerial vehicles operating from the amphibious assault ship TCG Anadolu are scheduled to fire MAM-L and MAM-T smart munitions.
For the first time in a Turkish military exercise, a total of eight guided missiles and one torpedo will be fired. The PIRANA kamikaze unmanned surface vessel will also conduct an attack on a surface target from a distance of 3.5 kilometers at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour.
Live-fire activities will be conducted against four real targets in a secured 2,488-square-nautical-mile area of the Eastern Mediterranean protected by 27 ships and four aircraft.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will hold the 33rd edition of its traditional “Consultation and Assessment Meeting” between June 26 and June 28. The meeting, set to be held in the northwestern province of Sakarya, is somewhat of a summer camp for the party’s administrators, chairs of local branches and other top officials, where several topics are discussed thoroughly and the party charts its future moves.
Ahead of the two-day meeting, the party announced a reshuffle in four provinces. Chairpersons of the Adana, Diyarbakır, Giresun and Siirt provinces resigned over the past two days after the central administration asked them to do so. The party said it would soon announce its successors.
The camp, which will be held at a hotel in Kocaeli’s vacation destination Sapanca, will be an occasion where domestic and foreign policies will be discussed, along with the security strategies of Türkiye in the face of regional developments. The party members will also discuss the terror-free Türkiye initiative, which aims to disarm the terrorist group PKK, as well as work on a new constitution, media outlets reported.
In August, AK Party will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Evolved from a modest gathering of the “Movement of the Virtuous,” the party boasts a streak of successive election victories in two decades. It is credited with transforming Türkiye in the first two decades of the 2000s, from education and health care to the arts, democracy, human rights, defense industry and energy.
Nowadays, the party, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is working toward achieving the ambitious Century of Türkiye vision, a new set of reforms aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s standing in the world and improving the lives of the Turkish nation in all fields.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said Wednesday that institutions underpinning the current international system have collapsed and failed to address global conflicts, criticizing the U.N. as ineffective in preventing aggression and ensuring accountability.
Speaking at an event titled “Türkiye in a Changing World: A Partner, a Balancer, a Strategic Actor,” hosted by the Finland-Türkiye Interparliamentary Friendship Group, Kurtulmuş said the global order was facing a profound institutional crisis.
“The institutions of the world system have collapsed,” Kurtulmuş noted. He argued that the UN, which was established to prevent conflicts and whose founding principles remain widely respected, had failed to fulfill its mission.
“To put it plainly, the United Nations means little more than an office in New York,” he stated.
Recalling remarks he made at an earlier meeting in Türkiye, Kurtulmuş added:
“Unfortunately, the United Nations is no different from a cafe in New York. It has no influence, cannot resolve any conflict, cannot stop any aggression, cannot tell any criminal that they are guilty, and remains in a state of helplessness.”
Nigerien President Abdourahamane Tchiani will pay an official visit to Türkiye on June 4 at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with the two leaders set to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and global developments, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said Wednesday.
The visit is expected to focus on strengthening ties between Türkiye and Niger, with leaders reviewing bilateral relations across a wide range of fields and evaluating potential steps to further deepen cooperation.
The discussions will also cover pressing regional and international issues, allowing both sides to exchange views on recent developments and areas of mutual interest.
The visit comes as Türkiye continues to expand its diplomatic, economic and security engagement across Africa, while advancing partnerships based on mutual benefit and shared development goals.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to attend the NATO summit in Türkiye’s capital Ankara next month, while emphasizing Washington’s continued commitment to the alliance and warning that Israeli actions in Lebanon could undermine efforts to sustain the Iran-U.S. cease-fire.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV during a visit to Singapore, Fidan said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had spoken with Trump several times over the past month and that the U.S. president reaffirmed his plans to attend the gathering during those conversations.
“As far as we know, yes, he is planning to attend,” Fidan said.
The foreign minister dismissed speculation that Washington could withdraw from NATO, saying he had seen no indication that the United States was preparing to distance itself from the alliance despite political rhetoric surrounding the issue.
Fidan said the United States has continued pressing allies to increase defense spending and assume greater responsibility for their own security, adding that European members had already begun boosting military budgets in response.
“When leaders come together, we will review the progress that has been made,” he said.
Addressing regional tensions, Fidan voiced support for ongoing diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran, saying both sides appeared sincere in efforts to preserve the cease-fire and keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
However, he warned that Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon posed a serious risk to the process.
“I am sure that both the Americans and the Iranians are sincere,” Fidan said. “They want the cease-fire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. But I am not sure about Israel’s intentions.”
Fidan said he recently spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regarding Israel’s expanded military activity in Lebanon.
According to Fidan, Tehran believes it reached an understanding with Washington on achieving a cease-fire across all fronts and views Israel’s latest actions as a violation of that arrangement.
“I think this will make it extremely difficult for them to continue negotiations,” he said.
The foreign minister also recalled Trump’s recent social media statement following a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the U.S. president said the parties had agreed not to attack one another.
Asked about the possibility of renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, Fidan said he hoped such a scenario would be avoided, citing potential consequences for global energy markets, inflation and regional security.
“When we witnessed such a situation previously, we saw its impact on energy, security and inflation worldwide,” he said.
Fidan noted that regional conflicts continue to place pressure on Türkiye’s economy, particularly through rising energy prices, despite the country’s access to pipeline supplies from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
He said diplomats were working to prevent further escalation and create conditions conducive to peace, stability, development and trade.
On reports that Türkiye could seek a dollar swap line from the United States, Fidan said he was unaware of any such proposal being discussed by the government.
“I know such an issue has not come onto the agenda,” he said.
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement condemning continued incursions by extremist illegal Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, in occupied East Jerusalem.
The ministers denounced the visits, which they said were carried out under the protection of Israeli forces, as well as the raising of Israeli flags inside the compound’s courtyards.
They described the actions as provocative and unacceptable, arguing that they constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations resolutions and the longstanding historical and legal status quo governing the holy site.
The ministers also condemned what they called systematic Israeli measures aimed at altering the historical, legal and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem and undermining the status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Reaffirming their rejection of any attempts to change the status quo in Jerusalem, the ministers stressed the importance of preserving existing arrangements while recognizing the special role of Jordan’s Hashemite custodianship over the holy sites.
The statement reiterated that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is an exclusive Muslim place of worship and emphasized that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which operates under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, retains sole authority over the administration of the site and access arrangements.
The ministers held Israeli authorities responsible for halting what they described as escalating violations, warning that repeated actions at the site risk increasing tensions, fueling instability and extremism, and undermining international efforts to achieve peace.
They called for an immediate end to what they characterized as illegal and provocative practices and urged full respect for the historical and legal status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The joint statement also reaffirmed unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The ministers reiterated their backing for efforts to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, in line with international law, relevant U.N. resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoBREAKING NEWS! Important statements from President Erdoğan after the Cabinet Meeting: We have only one problem, and that is Türkiye
-
Daily Agenda3 days agoFinancial review for CHP 38th Ordinary Congress! Delegates’ bank accounts will be examined one by one
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoBREAKING NEWS… Will the CHP Group Meeting be held? All eyes turned to that hour: Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took charge of the issue!
-
Economy2 days agoBP set to transfer running of BTC pipeline to Azerbaijan’s SOCAR
-
Sports3 days agoArda Güler bags UEFA’s CL Breakthrough Player of the Season award
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoBREAKING NEWS… New development in CHP’s questionable congress case! Özkan Yalım and Turgut Koç will testify!
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoBribery in Buca is called ‘soap’ – Last Minute News
-
Daily Agenda2 days agoThe holiday passed without water in the capital: Dams are full, taps are empty