Who is the Turkish-Israeli Businessman Targeted by a Foiled Iranian Plot?

Yair Geller, a Turkish-Israeli citizen, a prominent individual in the global defense industry, was the assassination target of Islamic Republic agents who were apprehended earlier this week in Turkey. The Turkish newspaper Sabah said that the planned killing of the 75-year-old owner of CNC Advanced Technology and Engineering, which manufactures aerospace hardware, IT equipment, CNC machinery, and develops software, was designed to disrupt Israeli-Turkish relations and to damage Turkey’s reputation.

Iranian intelligence services had also chosen Geller to avenge the assassination of Iran’s nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in November 2020. The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was widely believed to have been behind Fakhrizadeh’s assassination.

Turkish media also reported that Yair Geller's company in Istanbul, and his residence in Beşiktaş, were monitored and photographed by Iranian agents. But Turkish counter-intelligence operatives had also been monitoring the Iranian agents. The Turkish authorities soon determined that Geller was the target of an assassination plot – which was being organized with several Turks to avoid drawing attention.

Reports then suggest that, as the Iranian agents were preparing to execute the operation against Geller, Turkey’s intelligence agencies shared their findings with Mossad. The two agencies decided after a high-level meeting in Ankara to move Geller to a safe house in Turkey with Mossad agents protecting the businessman.

Sabah newspaper reports that the Israeli Foreign Ministry invited Geller to change his place of residence to Tel Aviv, in accordance with security protocols, but that the dual-national Geller said he loves Istanbul and did not intend to leave.

Sabah published photos and profiles of nine people, the alleged plotters in the operation, seven of whom were named as Osman Chulak, Nihat Beecher, Sabri Darhali, Ismail Gon, Deorim Darhali, Murad Bozkurt and Arkan Mangan. All seven are Turkish citizens. Two others, Yasin Taher Imamkandi and Saleh Mushtaq Biguz, are Iranian. The group was apparently connected via WhatsApp. Osman Chulak allegedly sent information to Yasin Taher Imamkandi – meaning that information passed from a Turkish to an Iranian phone number.

Geller was transferred to the safe house, with the hit squad unaware of the move, and an operation was carried out by the Istanbul Police Organized Crime Branch to arrest the nine suspects. The 53-year-old Yasin Taher Imamkandi, believed to be the head of the operation in Iran, is currently in that country; and Saleh Mushtaq Bigoz, 44, was in command in Istanbul.

Eight suspects, including Bigoz, were arrested and charged with "forming and operating a criminal network," "membership in a criminal network," and other "threats."

Assassination and abductions are longstanding tools of the Islamic Republic of Iran and have been carried out both inside and outside the country. The US State Department says the Islamic Republic has carried out more than 360 foreign assassinations since its inception.

Saeed Karimian, the director of the Jam TV network, and Massoud Molavi, the director of the Black Box telegram channel, were among those assassinated by Iranian intelligence in Turkey in recent years.