Behind Ocalan's Capture: Deceit, Abduction -- and the Mossad?

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Circumstantial evidence also fueled speculation over Mossad's involvement. "Even if the Israelis were not involved, Ocalan's capture certainly carried some of the hallmarks of a Mossad operation," says TIME correspondent William Dowell. "There's been strong security cooperation between Israel and Turkey, and the Mossad certainly has a well-established capacity to undertake such complex missions in faraway countries."

Israel also has a close relationship with the Kenyan authorities, and a history of operating in the region. Kenya was used as a staging ground for Israel's spectacular 1977 rescue of hijack hostages at Uganda's Entebbe airport, and later also for its emergency airlift of Ethiopian Jews. Israeli personnel took charge of rescue operations in Nairobi following the U.S. embassy bombing last July.

All these connections, of course, remain circumstantial. It is in the nature of covert operations that they're seldom reported unless they go wrong, or if those responsible want to gloat. Right now only the Turks are gloating. And judging by the frenzy of protests across Europe, if anyone else helped out, they'd be well advised to keep that fact to themselves.