National Intelligence Organization
The National Intelligence Organization, also known by its Turkish initials MIT or colloquially as the Organization, is a national civilian intelligence and security agency of the Turkish government tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and conducting analysis and development intelligence gathering and counterintelligence systems to create national security, clandestine and covert operations, countering hybrid threats, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, creation a civilian security network intelligence, support hybrid warfare operations, and threat assessment to national security.
It gathers information for the Presidency and the Turkish Armed Forces about the current and potential threats from inside and outside against all the elements that make up Turkey's integrity, constitutional order, existence, independence, security and national power and takes precautions when necessary.
The MIT is under the provision of the Presidency. It works closely with the Turkish diplomatic missions overseas.
History
The organization was formerly named as the Millî Emniyet Hizmetleri Teşkilatı in 1926. One of the MAH directors was Celal Tevfik Karasapan who held the post between 1959 and 1960.On 9 February 2023 the National Intelligence Academy, in Turkish Milli İstihbarat Akademisi, was founded and began its activities on 6 January 2024. It is an institution within MIT with the purpose "to provide postgraduate education and conduct scientific research in intelligence, security and strategy."
Organization
Organizational structure
The Organization is headed by a Director-General, who is appointed by the President of Turkey. The Director-General is typically a career intelligence officer with past experience in intelligence and security matters.The organization is divided into various departments and units, each specializing in specific areas of intelligence, counterterrorism, and analysis. These units include the Counterterrorism Department, Foreign Relations Department, Signals Intelligence Department, and more.
Connections to the Turkish military
According to the former director of Foreign Operations, Yavuz Ataç, the military presence in the organization is negligible, although the organization has a military heritage. In 1990, the percentage of military personnel was 35%, while in 2007 the lower echelons were 4.5% military. While the organization has historically recruited from relatives of existing employees, the former director, Emre Taner, says that this is no longer the case.Duties
The MİT is in charge of collecting intelligence on existing and potential threats from internal and external sources posed against the territory, people and integrity, the existence, independence, security, and all the other elements that compose the constitutional order and the national power of the Republic of Turkey. The MİT is in charge of communicating this intelligence to the President, the Chief of the General Staff, the Secretary General of the National Security Council and other relevant state organizations as necessary.The MİT is in charge of counterintelligence activities in Turkey. Legally, it cannot be given any other duty and cannot be led to any other field of activity than collecting intelligence concerning the security of the Republic. The MİT engages in cyberwarfare. The Turkish Ministry of National Defence considers cybersecurity as the country's "fifth frontier" after land, air, sea and space. The MİT uses local cybersecurity solutions mostly developed by companies like HAVELSAN and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.
Activities
In 2014, it was revealed in the Turkey's Parliament's Internal Affairs Commission that the MİT has units working abroad and was wiretapping the telephones of 2,473 people, mostly related to "terrorism and spying activities."On 5 April 2018, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said that MIT has captured 80 Turkish citizens, suspected of links to FETÖ, from 18 different countries so far.
On 16 October 2020, according to Reuters, Turkey's intelligence officials arrested a man, suspected of spying on foreign Arab nationals on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. The officials said that the man entered Turkey using a non-UAE passport. The detainee confessed to the charges and Turkish authorities obtained "a trove of documents" from him showing UAE affiliation, but there were no reactions received from the UAE. In 2019, Turkey arrested two men suspected of spying on Arab nationals for the UAE. One of the men was connected to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In 2022, MIT participated and helped in the prisoner swap between Konstantin Yaroshenko and Trevor Reed which took place in Istanbul.
On 25 December 2025, the MIT arrested 115 Islamic State suspects 'planning New Year's attacks'. The arrests come 2 days after the Turkish intelligence agents carried out a raid against IS on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Africa
Angola
Turkish judicial documents revealed that the National Intelligence Organization spied on Turkish nationals in Angola. They were supporters of the Gülen movement.Egypt
On 22 November 2017, Egypt's public prosecutor ordered the detention of 29 people suspected of espionage on behalf of Turkey against Egypt's national interests and joining a terrorist organization. They were also accused of money laundering, conducting overseas calls without a license and trading currency without a license. According to the results of an investigation by the General Intelligence Services, the group had been recording phone calls and passing information to Turkish intelligence as part of a plan to bring the Muslim Brotherhood back to power in Egypt.Gabon
In March 2018, MIT abducted three suspected members of the Gülen Movement from Gabon and transferred them from Libreville to Ankara on a private jet.Kenya
MIT captured Abdullah Öcalan in Kenya on 15 February 1999, while being transferred from the Greek embassy to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, reportedly with the help of the CIA. He was then forcibly transferred to Turkey and imprisoned on Imrali island where he faced trial. Also, MIT has rescued an Italian citizen, Silvia Romano, who has been kidnapped in Kenya on 20 November 2018, and taken to Somalia. On 31 May 2021, the MIT arrested in Kenya Selahaddin Gülen, who is a nephew of Fetullah Gülen, and brought him to Turkey.Libya
In August 2019, a report was published, which stated that MIT was operating within the capital Tripoli in order to support the Government of National Accord. MIT personnel arrived in Libya before any Turkish military unit was sent.In September 2020, five Turkish journalists were jailed in Turkey after revealing documents about the Turkish intelligence activities in Libya. Three of them released in February 2022.
Starting in 2024, Turkey and Eastern Libya began to shift their stance and move closer together. During that period, the head of MIT held meetings with Eastern Libyan leaders, including Khalifa Haftar and his sons.
Sudan
In a joint operation of MIT and National Intelligence and Security Service, a man believed to be a chief financier for the FETÖ, was captured and transported to Turkey.Americas
United States
In 2018, the United States Department of Justice charged Kamil Ekim Alptekin and Bijan Rafiekian with acting as illegal agents of Turkey in the United States.In July 2019, it was reported that Turkish diplomats with the support of MIT, had extensively spied on critics of the government of Turkey. Among the organizations that were spied on, were schools, companies, nongovernmental and not-for-profit organizations and foundations located in New York, Washington D.C., Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Chicago.
Asia
Armenia
In 2002, Armenian special services arrested an Armenian government official on charges of spying for Turkish national intelligence. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of spying for Turkey.Azerbaijan
In 2018, MIT arrested a FETÖ member in Azerbaijan and brought him to Turkey. He was a teacher working for a school in Azerbaijan which was operated by FETÖ.Georgia
According to a published news report, operatives of Turkish counterterrorism unit and MIT assigned to the Turkish Embassy had engaged in a large-scale spying campaign on FETÖ-linked organisations and foundations.Iraq
In August 2017, the Kurdistan Communities Union said that had captured two Turkish nationals in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq; the Kurdish group said both individuals captured were working for the MIT. The plan of the two captured Turks, according to NRT News, was to assassinate a senior Kurdistan Workers' Party figure.In August 2018, it was announced that the PKK leader Ismail Özden and 4 other militants of the Sinjar Resistance Units were killed in Turkish airstrikes in Sinjar. The Turkish Armed Forces carried out the joint operation with the MIT.
In April 2019, 4 PKK militants were nabbed at Iraq's Mount Sinjar and were brought to Turkey as part of a joint operation by the MIT and Turkish Armed forces.
In June 2019, Diyar Gharib Muhammed — one of seven members of the PKK's Central Committee was Killed. A Turkish F-16 struck his vehicle with the assistance of human intelligence provided by National Intelligence Organization in the Kortek Bend area of Qandil in northern Iraq.
In August 2019, 4 PKK militants were killed in an airstrike by Turkish warplane in a joint operation with MIT in the Qandil area of northern Iraq.
In September 2019, 3 PKK militants were killed in an airstrike by Turkish warplane in a joint operation with MIT in the Gara region of northern Iraq. The same month the MIT in a joint operation, in northern Iraq's Qandil region, with the Turkish Armed Forces neutralized a senior female PKK member together with her driver.
In January 2025, MIT neutralized Islam Dotkanlou, a top figure in the PKK's Iranian branch, along with his bodyguard during an operation carried out in Iraq.