On May 1, 2025, Cemil \u00d6nal\u2014known as the accountant of Halil Falyal\u0131\u2014was assassinated at a hotel located within the Rijswijk Municipality near The Hague, Netherlands. \u00d6nal had previously provided a 120-page testimony and documents to the American foreign intelligence agency CIA and the Dutch Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD).[^1] He also gave an interview to Cypriot journalist Ay\u015feden Ak\u0131n, in which he exposed illicit relationships within the power structures of Turkey and Northern Cyprus, causing widespread media coverage.[^2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This event is not merely an individual execution but should be interpreted as part of a multi-layered intelligence conflict and political reckoning. \u00d6nal was a key figure with direct and detailed knowledge\u2014not merely as a witness\u2014of the internal mechanisms of the Turkish Republic (TR) and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), including corrupt dealings involving numerous politicians, businessmen, and bureaucrats, including President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to media reports, the assassin fled the scene on foot, pointing to a serious lapse in security protocols.[^3] Despite receiving intelligence from \u00d6nal, both the CIA and AIVD failed to fulfill their duty to protect him. Allowing him to stay at an ordinary hotel without any security measures raises serious questions about institutional responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public criticism has surfaced regarding Turkey\u2019s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), which reportedly tracked \u00d6nal for a significant period and coordinated its actions with the executive branch.[^4] Whether MIT had direct or indirect involvement in the assassination is a matter that must be scrutinized both legally and within the context of international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allegedly, \u00d6nal possessed recordings and documents detailing the involvement of Erdo\u011fan and his close circle in illicit and organized criminal activities.[^5] Should these records have fallen into the hands of Western intelligence agencies, Turkey could be exposed to blackmail and coercion on the international stage.[^6] Therefore, this assassination can also be interpreted as part of a multinational foreign policy maneuver rather than merely a targeted killing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following \u00d6nal\u2019s death, widespread discussion has focused on the notion that Western intelligence services \u201cused and discarded\u201d him. He allegedly offered detailed cooperation to the CIA and AIVD in exchange for protection and asylum.[^7] However, these services may have either underestimated or deliberately ignored his requests. This highlights the fragile nature of the \u201cinterest-based protection\u201d principle in intelligence relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Informants are typically protected only as long as the information they provide is considered \u201cvaluable.\u201d Once this information is utilized, the responsibility toward such individuals diminishes. This has been a recurrent tactic, notably employed by the KGB and CIA during the Cold War.[^8] \u00d6nal\u2019s situation is a modern example of the \u201cdiscarded witness syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the aftermath of \u00d6nal\u2019s assassination, segments of the Turkish opposition and certain media outlets have begun questioning potential links between the incident and the ruling government. Reports suggesting that \u00d6nal\u2019s records directly targeted President Erdo\u011fan have triggered intense censorship and pressure campaigns.[^9]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This leads to a critical question: If \u00d6nal indeed possessed incriminating material against Erdo\u011fan and his inner circle, where are these documents now, and who has them? If they have been handed over to the CIA, AIVD, or other agencies, they could become instruments of future blackmail. Such a scenario might force Turkey into foreign policy concessions\u2014similar to past cases involving NATO member states where intelligence assets were directly embedded in diplomatic maneuvers.[^10]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkey\u2019s modern history is filled with assassinations that remained unsolved for years, only to resurface when political dynamics shifted. \u00d6nal\u2019s death might similarly be a \u201cheld card\u201d\u2014deliberately shelved by those behind the operation for future strategic leverage. In such a case, the public may not learn the truth for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More critical than identifying the direct perpetrators is uncovering the structures that allowed or facilitated the assassination. The media\u2019s lack of coverage, the event\u2019s near-invisibility on social media, and its portrayal as an \u201cordinary murder\u201d all reinforce this suspicion.[^11]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Anatomy of a Trust Crisis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cemil \u00d6nal\u2019s assassination is not only a personal tragedy but also a symptom of a deeper crisis involving intelligence agencies, transnational political interests, and Turkey\u2019s internal power structure. Despite the short time since the incident, access to information has been restricted, the investigation lacks transparency, and international response has been minimal. This sends a deterrent message\u2014not just to those currently involved, but also to any future whistleblowers considering cooperation with intelligence services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, several pressing questions remain unanswered:
\u2022 Who was behind the assassination?
\u2022 Why did agencies responsible for his protection fail to act?
\u2022 Where are the documents \u00d6nal disclosed?
\u2022 How might this murder affect Turkey\u2019s future foreign policy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The killing of Cemil \u00d6nal demands clarification on many fronts. This was not simply the silencing of a witness but an event that sheds light on the complex intersections of intelligence agencies, state structures, and international power balances. Ultimately, the key question remains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho benefits the most from this assassination?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone concerned with this issue must engage in critical thinking, connecting the chain of events and conducting a thorough analysis.
Only then can the true answer\u2014perhaps more obvious than it seems\u2014emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[^1]: \u201cKey Witness Cemil \u00d6nal Killed in Rijswijk,\u201d De Volkskrant, May 2, 2025.
[^2]: Ay\u015feden Ak\u0131n, \u201cInterview with Cemil \u00d6nal: Deep State Relations Revealed Through Documents and Recordings,\u201d Haber K\u0131br\u0131s, March 2025.
[^3]: \u201cEscape Footage After the Assassination Captured on CCTV,\u201d NOS Nieuws, May 2, 2025.
[^4]: Mehmet Y\u0131lmaz, \u201cMIT\u2019s Silence and Tracking of Cemil \u00d6nal,\u201d BirG\u00fcn, April 2025.
[^5]: Hasan Bayraktar, The Deep State\u2019s Tape Archive: The Cemil \u00d6nal File, Istanbul: G\u00fcncel Publishing, 2025.
[^6]: Ay\u015fe Karda\u015f, \u201cThe West\u2019s New Weapon: Political Blackmail Documents,\u201d International Security and Strategy Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1 (2025): 34\u201352.
[^7]: \u201cLeaked Documents on Cemil \u00d6nal\u2019s Meetings with AIVD and CIA,\u201d The Intercept, May 4, 2025.
[^8]: Christopher Andrew, The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB, New York: Basic Books, 1999.
[^9]: \u201cAre the Recordings Targeting Erdo\u011fan? Cemil \u00d6nal Assassination and Its Political Impacts,\u201d BBC Turkish, May 3, 2025.
[^10]: Robert Baer, See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA\u2019s War on Terrorism, New York: Crown Publishers, 2002.
[^11]: \u201cAlgorithms and Obscuration: Why the Cemil \u00d6nal Case Was Rendere<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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