Israeli police have arrested a citizen accused of being recruited by Iranian intelligence to assassinate high-profile Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The joint statement from the police and Shin Bet on Thursday revealed that the suspect, a businessman who had lived in Turkey, was allegedly involved in a plot to target Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, among others.
The individual, reportedly from Ashkelon, was smuggled into Iran twice, where he received payment for his involvement in the scheme.
During his trips, he met with Iranian intelligence agents and was tasked with various missions, including transferring money or weapons, photographing public places, and threatening other recruits.
The suspect’s activities were allegedly motivated by revenge for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Iran and Hamas have accused Israel of orchestrating Haniyeh’s death, a claim Israel has not officially addressed.
In addition to the assassination plots, the suspect was reportedly asked to recruit members of Israel’s Mossad spy agency as double agents. After requesting a $1 million advance, he was given 5,000 euros for his participation in the meetings and was told he would be contacted in the future.
“This is a very serious case that exemplifies the enormous efforts of Iranian intelligence agents to recruit Israeli citizens to promote terrorist activities in Israel,” a senior Shin Bet official said.
