Historical statements from Said Caviş, who played a role in the capture of Eli Cohen

Said Caviş, the founder of the unit and a retired officer who played a critical role in deciphering and capturing Israeli spy Eli Cohen while serving in the Syrian army, shared details about the process, from Cohen's capture in his apartment in Abu Rummane to his execution, from his interrogation by the head of state to the time of his disappearance, from how he was deciphered with the Surah Fatiha to the night of his execution.

In the last two parts of the article series published in five parts in Saudi Arabia-based Al Majalla, Caviş, who played an important role in the capture of Israeli spy Cohen, conveyed the unknown aspects of the operation.

Stating that Cohen was kept under control at his home for 6 days instead of being arrested immediately, retired Caviş noted that the "Three Musketeers" book and the relevant issue of "El-Muhtar" magazine were brought from Beirut to decipher the codes.

Caviş, who said that they sat and talked with Cohen normally and even went to the restaurant with him as a precaution, said that foreign intelligence had no role in his capture.

Caviş said, "Soviet intelligence or the Indian Embassy did not play a role in the capture of Cohen. The operation was carried out entirely by my own unit, 'Radio Secret Service No. 134'." He made a statement.

Deciphered with Surah Fatiha

Caviş stated that at the end of the sixth day, Cohen was questioned by the then Syrian President Emin Hafez. Caviş said that the fact that he could not read the Surah Al-Fatiha was effective in understanding that Cohen was Jewish and described the moment of interrogation as follows:

"They stopped Cohen at the door. The General Commander and President of the period, Emin Hafez, asked with an Aleppo accent, 'What is your name?' he asked. Cohen replied, 'Kamil Emin Sabit, I am a Syrian Arab, I am engaged in trade and I am a Muslim.' Thereupon, Hafez told him to read Surah Fatiha. When Cohen made a mistake while reading, Hafez asked, 'Is there a Muslim your age who does not know Fatiha?' " he said and immediately turned to the people next to him and said, 'This is a Jew.'"

"I opposed the death sentence, I was imprisoned for 89 days"

Caviş stated that he opposed the death penalty, thinking that keeping Cohen alive would be more valuable in terms of a possible barter or intelligence exchange.

Stating that he was sentenced to prison for this objection, Caviş said, "I was imprisoned for 89 days because I expressed my suspicions that some people might have an interest in Cohen's death." he said.

Cohen: "They deceived me, my child will grow up an orphan"

Stating that they had a private meeting with Cohen in prison for about two hours the night before his execution, Caviş said that Cohen cried and said the following to him during this meeting:

"They deceived me. The administration I was affiliated with told me, 'Even if we have to bomb Damascus, we will not let anything happen to you.' But now I am here."

Caviş stated that before informing Israel of Cohen's capture, they corresponded with Mossad as if "they did not know they had Cohen." Caviş also said, "This child will grow up an orphan," while talking about Cohen's newborn son. he said.

"Cohen's body is still in Syria"

Caviş stated that the night before Cohen's execution, they met with six officers and discussed the burial place, and out of concern that the Israelis might try to seize the body, it was decided to choose the entrance of a military barracks, which was constantly on guard, as the burial place.

Caviş said that he did not know exactly which barracks was chosen and added that he thought Cohen's body was still buried in front of a barracks in Syria.

Caviş said, "Cohen's body is in Syria. If the Israelis had found his body, they would have announced it long ago and made a big noise." he said.

Cohen's lost watch

Caviş also talked about Cohen's watch, which was discovered years after his execution. He pointed out that before the overthrow of the regime, it was announced in Israel that the clock had been turned back "with a special operation" at a celebration attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Mossad director.

Caviş explained what happened during his meeting with former Deputy Director of the Syrian National Security Bureau, Ali Mamluk, regarding Cohen's watch:

"Ali Mamluk showed me the photo of the watch and asked if I recognized it. I told him that it was Cohen's watch. After he was captured, the watch was on his wrist and was given to the officer who interrogated him, Abdülkadir Abdulcelil. Years later, when I met him in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abdülcelil showed me the watch on his wrist and boasted, 'No one benefited from the Cohen incident except me, I took his watch.'"

"One of Cohen's camouflage methods was to send his telegrams in French rather than Arabic and Hebrew," Caviş said. he said.

Stating that the texts Cohen sent were in French and were translated by Ahmed Şevki Al-Rashi, Director of the Postal Institute, Caviş said, "The telegrams generally contained non-critical daily information such as 'I went to so-and-so, so-and-so came'." he said.

Caviş stated that Cohen's real goal may be to obtain Syrian citizenship and take on a role in the government.

Caviş argued that businessman Macid al-Ard, who was tried and sentenced in the Cohen case, was treated unfairly.

Saying that the two only met on the road returning from Europe and became ordinary companions, Caviş said: "Acquaintance between travelers does not prove that one of them knows that the other is a spy. I believe that Macid al-Ard is innocent." he said.

In the first three episodes of the interview series published in Saudi Arabia-based Al Majalla, details about the decryption process of Cohen, his capture and the seized evidence were conveyed.

Cohen, who is considered one of Israel's important spies, served in Damascus, the capital of Syria, between 1962 and 1965 under the pseudonym Kamil Emin Sabit.

Cohen, who developed close relations with senior Syrian military officials and conveyed to Israel the information he collected regarding military activities in the Golan Heights and the state's decision-making mechanism, was executed on May 18, 1965.