An Israeli-American counter terrorism organization says an alleged list of IDF names published Monday in a Turkish newspaper is not what the paper claims it to be.
The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response told Arutz Sheva in a statement Monday evening that the Turkish Sabah newspaper had actually published names from the past.
The list dates back several years ago, said a researcher from the organization, and does not include current names of the IDF commandos who had carried out the operation against the Mavi Marmara flotilla vessel in May 2010.
“The list being presented in Turkish and Arab media as being a list of Israeli soldiers who took part in the raid on the Mavi Marmara is not what it is claimed to be,” said a researcher for ITRR.
“Actually, it is primarily a list of IDF soldiers that has been circulated for several years in jihadist forums worldwide. That list already included photos at the time,” the researcher added.
Ankara officially denied involvement in gathering the list of 174 names after it appeared in the newspaper Monday morning.
Istanbul Deputy Public Prosecutor Ates Hasan Sozen denied in a statement to the Turkish Today's Zaman daily that his office had asked the National Intelligence Organization, MIT, to identify IDF soldiers and commanders involved in the operation.
Sozen also claimed, however, that the list was prepared by the IHH organization that owned the Mavi Marmara and had been allegedly prepared using a Facebook search. He added that IHH lawyer Ugur Yildirim submitted the list Monday morning, at about the same time it appeared in the Sabah newspaper.