Israeli officials have announced the successful bust of an Iranian plot to assassinate a senior Israeli scientist and a mayor of a major Israeli city. The operation involved seven suspects from Jerusalem's Beit Safafa neighborhood who were apprehended by Israel's internal security service, Shin Bet, and the Israeli Police.
The suspects, who were promised a $53,000 payment, were also tasked with bombing a police car and throwing a grenade at a house. The joint statement from Shin Bet and the Israeli Police revealed that the individuals were under Iranian direction and had planned the assassination of prominent Israeli figures.
An investigation uncovered an Iranian intelligence network seeking to recruit Israeli citizens for various missions within Israel. One suspect, a 23-year-old from Jerusalem, was in contact with a foreign agent and recruited others for activities such as graffiti spraying, vehicle arson, and intelligence gathering.
The suspects were arrested near the scientist's home after photographing it in exchange for money. During the arrests, authorities found 50,000 shekels, a fake police license plate, and numerous credit cards. Charges for serious security offenses are expected to be filed against the suspects.
A senior Shin Bet official highlighted that Iranian agents target scientists, mayors, security officials, and other prominent Israelis. The official emphasized Iran's ongoing efforts to recruit Israeli citizens for terrorist activities.
These arrests follow the recent discovery and disruption of an Iranian spy ring operating in northern Israel. The seven suspects, residents of Haifa and other areas in northern Israel, were gathering intelligence on Israeli military bases, including air force and naval installations, as well as the Iron Dome defense system.
The accused individuals were also allegedly providing Iranian intelligence with information on Israel's critical energy infrastructure, including the Hadera power station. The spy network reportedly used sophisticated equipment to photograph sensitive locations in exchange for substantial sums of money, some of which were made using cryptocurrency.
