MASAK filed a complaint: An investigation has been launched into journalist Bahadır Özgür over a news article published four years ago

An investigation has been launched against journalist Bahadır Özgür over a report titled “Million-dollar sales from Mersin to ISIS”, published in BirGün newspaper in 2022.

It has been reported that the investigation was opened by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office following a criminal complaint by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK). Journalist Özgür faces the charge of “disclosing a confidential report containing state intelligence information”.

The report stated that drone parts imported via China were sold to individuals responsible for ISIS drone attacks by foreign trade companies established in Mersin. It was reported that those who established the companies had acquired Turkish citizenship and had links to high-ranking ISIS militants in Syria who were later killed in a US airstrike.

THE REPORT HAD BEEN INCLUDED IN THE CASE FILE

The basis of the report was a document prepared by MASAK and intelligence units, which also included the names and activities of individuals linked to ISIS in Turkey. The report detailed the names and activities of individuals in Turkey involved in this illegal trade. The report had been submitted at the court’s request, following a request by defence lawyers in the 10 October Ankara Station massacre case for information regarding the ISIS members involved in the massacre. The report was included in the court file.

As part of the investigation, it was requested that Özgür be tried under the provisions of Articles 326, 327, 328, 329 and 330 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), which govern the offences of “endangering the security of the state, its national assets, its territorial integrity, the constitutional order, or its internal and external political interests”.

ÖZGÜR A STATEMENT

Özgür, who was questioned yesterday by the Terrorism Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, stated that the investigation had been launched four years after the news article was published, emphasising that the information in question had been presented to a public court and that there was no confidentiality order. Özgür stated that the report contained no information falling under the category of ‘state secrets’, adding that the relevant state institutions had already taken action against the ISIS members in question, as noted in the report.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled MASAK şikayet etti: Gazeteci Bahadır Özgür’e 4 yıl önceki haberden soruşturma başlatıldı, published in BirGün newspaper on April 10, 2026.