Man arrested in Israel for plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister or Shin Bet chairman - media
Kyiv • UNN
A 73-year-old man from Ashkelon is accused of conspiring with Iran to assassinate the prime minister, defense minister, or head of the Shin Bet. The suspect illegally traveled to Iran twice and received money for completing tasks.
In Israel, a citizen was arrested last month after he was "allegedly recruited by Iran to advance an assassination plot of Israel’s prime minister, defense minister, or the head of the Shin Bet" (Israel's general security service), the country's authorities said on Thursday, UNN reports citing The Times of Israel.
Details
The Shin Bet and Israel Police said in a joint statement that "the suspect was smuggled into Iran twice and received payment to carry out missions on behalf of Tehran".
The suspect, identified as 73-year-old Moti Maman from the southern city of Ashkelon, was indicted on Thursday, after which Shin Bet revealed details of the investigation.
According to Shin Bet and the police investigation, Maman was a businessman who had lived for a long time in Turkey, where he had business and social relations with Turkish and Iranian citizens.
"The security agency said that Eddie Maman met with Iranian intelligence officials at his home, who asked him to "prepare assassination attempts" on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, or Shin Bet Chairman Ronen Barak," the newspaper writes.
"According to the investigation, Iranian intelligence officials also considered assassinating other senior officials, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett," the report said.
Shin Bet said that "the assassination plans are seen by Iranian officials as revenge for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, which was attributed to Israel," the publication notes.
According to the investigation, Maman asked for $1 million before performing any of the tasks.
News channel 12 News, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation, reported that "throughout the interrogation, the suspect did not deny the charges." Maman's lawyer said that his client had made an "error of judgment" and was fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.
A senior Shin Bet official characterized the case as "a very serious matter, which is an example of the enormous efforts of Iranian intelligence services to recruit Israeli citizens to promote terrorist activities in Israel.
The official said that "the Shin Bet assessed that Iran will continue its efforts to recruit Israeli civilians for spy missions and terrorist attacks, especially by contacting Israelis with criminal backgrounds," the newspaper writes.
