The prosecution submitted an indictment on Sunday against three Turkish residents – Oktay Asci, Rahman Gokyer, and Yunus Ozel – on charges of weapons smuggling and infiltration into Israel after they had been deported, as well as for attempting to provide means for committing an act of terrorism. All three have been apprehended until the termination of legal proceedings against them.
Per the indictment, Asci, Gokyer, and Ozel had planned to manage a gun-smuggling route from Turkey to Israel via Jordan. They were arrested last month after illegally crossing the border by Kibbutz Sha’ar Hagolan, just south of the Kinneret.
Asci first entered Israel at the start of 2023 to work in construction, despite lacking a proper work visa. He remained in Israel until he was deported this past July.
During this time, Asci made contact with Ahmet Prildar, a man of Turkish origins who resides outside of Israel and operates illegal smuggling routes into the state.
The smuggling pathway
Prildar offered Asci to take part in his operations, specifically to smuggle in guns. The plan was for Prildar and his associates to work with an Iranian weapons dealer to secure the firearms. The goods would then reach Jordan and be collected by another member of the ring, who would ultimately run the contraband into Israel inside trucks through the Jordan border.
Asci’s job in this was to be the point person on the Israeli side of the border, collect the guns from the smugglers, and pass them on to others, per Prildar’s instructions. He was also to be in charge of the money exchanges resulting from these deals.
“He did all this while fully aware that the guns would be used, directly or indirectly, to carry out terrorist activities,” reads the indictment. Asci was promised one million dollars for his role.
In July, Prildar asked Asci, who then lived in Bat Yam, to retrieve a gun from one man and transfer it to another, and to collect the money from the deal and return it to Prildar. The indictment noted that Asci was “aware that the gun was lethal.”
Asci received the package containing the gun and, based on Prildar’s instructions, buried it in some sand near his apartment so another could find it and pick it up.
WHEN THE firearm was not collected by the next day, Asci was instructed to remove it. Instead, he took it to his home and hid it in his closet.
Several days later, Asci was instructed to open the package and photograph the gun. Prildar informed him that the weapon would not be used for lethal purposes. Asci then successfully transferred the weapon to someone else.
For all of these actions, Asci was indicted on the charges of trafficking, carrying and transporting, and possession of arms, as well as attempting to provide means for committing an act of terrorism.
Several days after all this took place (in July), Asci was apprehended by authorities and deported to Turkey.
However, he continued his activities there, and just a month later, in August, Asci made contact with Ozel, another Turkish citizen who was residing in Israel at the time, and worked in construction alongside him.
At Prildar’s instruction, Asci instructed Ozel to carry out an arms deal at Tel Aviv’s central bus station. Asci further ordered Ozel to collect money from a designated store in the area, and transfer it to another man, who in return would give over a gun and ammunition. He was then to bring the weapon to a third man, who would check it to make sure it was real. Ozel agreed to partake in these actions.
He attempted to carry out this plan twice. However, in both instances, the man Ozel was supposed to transfer the gun to did not show. Ozel took NIS 5,000 for himself from the funds for his efforts.
He was indicted on the charges of arms trafficking and attempting to provide means for committing an act of terrorism.
After this attempt to effectuate the smuggling ring, Asci and Prildar, along with other associates, settled on the plan that Asci and Gokyer would illegally infiltrate Israel via Jordan, “and settle in so that the smuggling route could be activated.”
Asci and Gokyer flew from Turkey to Saudi Arabia, then continued to Jordan. They agreed to smuggle three firearms that would be given to them in Jordan into Israel.
However, the guns were never provided due to internal scuffles within the organization. Nevertheless, Asci and Gokyer continued with their infiltration plan. They crossed into Israel on September 19, where the IDF immediately apprehended them.
Gokyer had been working in Israel as well, and a connection had been established between himself and Asci already in July.
His job in the gang was to serve as the collection point in Israel for the guns, where he was supposed to hold on to them until Gokyer could pass them on to others.
He, like Asci, was also delegated to collecting and passing on the funds. Gokyer was promised one million dollars for his part.
He was indicted on the charges of arms trafficking, attempting to provide means for committing an act of terrorism, and infiltration into Israel after deportation.