Hamas has been operating a secret intelligence headquarters in the city of Istanbul, unbeknownst to many of the organization’s own officials as well as to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, The Times of London reported Friday. The British daily, citing several unnamed Western intelligence sources, reported that the Turkish-based unit was tasked with secretly acquiring materials for weapons production, as well as conducting cyberwarfare against Hamas’ enemies, namely the Palestinian Authority and Saudi and Emirati embassies in Europe. Samakh Saraj, a high-ranking Gaza-based official who reports directly to the organization’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, heads the unit. Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip in 2006, is considered by the EU, the US and Israel to be a terrorist group.