East Jerusalem spy ring indicted; prosecutors say leader received $7,000 from Iran
Suspects aged 19-23, almost all of them Israeli citizens, are accused of plotting to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist as well as a city mayor
Prosecutors indicted seven East Jerusalem residents on Wednesday on suspicion of spying for Tehran and plotting attacks in Israel, detailing the allegations against the fifth alleged Iranian espionage plot busted in Israel in just over a month.
The suspects, all men aged 19 to 23 from the capital’s Beit Safafa neighborhood without previous criminal or security-related records, were pursuing the assassination of an Israeli nuclear scientist as well as the mayor of a major city in central Israel, authorities had said in a statement on Tuesday.
Six of the suspects are Israeli citizens, and the other is a permanent resident. The leader of the ring, a 23-year-old named Rami Alian, was recruited by an Iranian agent, and Alian then recruited the other six members, authorities said.
The suspects “worked as an organized cell, in which each of them had a defined role,” a security official said, adding that the suspects knew each other from their neighborhood, and had personal relationships that helped them coordinate their activities.
According to the indictment, the Iranian agent contacted Alian via Telegram and presented himself as a 38-year-old working for the Iranian intelligence ministry.
Alian, alongside friends he recruited, performed various tasks requested by the Iranian agent for payment, including setting two cars on fire in exchange for NIS 2,000 ($500) in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood and putting up posters in the capital calling for the release of hostages in exchange for NIS 90 ($24) per poster.
In other cases, Alian and his partners attempted to fool the agent to think they’d performed the tasks he’d asked of them. One case saw Alian burying a grenade at a designated location but later retrieving it; another saw the group pretend to attack an Israeli soldier’s home by filming themselves throwing a stun grenade at a Palestinian home in the West Bank. The indictment also says Alian acquired a fake police license plate in order to stage an attack on a police car.
The fake police license plate was discovered during a search of the suspects’ homes upon their arrest, alongside some NIS 50,000 ($13,000) and 10 credit cards.
In total, prosecutors say Alian converted cryptocurrency worth some NIS 26,000 ($7,000) into cash throughout his contact with the Iranian agent.
The most serious accusation in the indictment regards a plot to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist. In preparation for the assassination, Alian’s cell was sent to photograph the Weizmann Institute late at night in exchange for 5,000 NIS ($1,300). They allegedly did so only from the outside, after security prevented their entrance into the campus.
Alian was ultimately given a photo and the address of the scientist the Islamic Republic wanted him to assassinate, and was told he would be paid NIS 200,000 ($53,000) if he succeeded, authorities said.
He allegedly began preparations for the act, gathering information about the target, including his daily habits and other personal information, but the cell was arrested before the plot could move forward.
The suspects are being tried on charges of assisting the enemy during wartime, contacting a foreign agent, providing information to the enemy, conspiracy to commit terror-related murder, using a weapon for purposes of terrorism, arson, and obstruction of justice.
Police said Alian told investigators he was aware he was working for Iranians and wanted to harm national security, citing the war in Gaza. “I feel proud that an Iranian turned to me,” he allegedly said.
This would seem to mark the first case of the recently uncovered spy rings to be motivated by a nationalist ideology, rather than solely by the financial rewards offered in exchange for the missions — though details on all cases remain limited.
The charges say the members of the alleged ring contacted their Iranian handlers directly. “They weren’t helped by a Turkish intermediary, as was the case in previous instances; rather, they used different means which we can’t share,” a senior police official said.
The investigation into the ring began in September, and police arrested the suspects on September 19. Prosecutors requested the suspects remain in detention throughout their trial.
The Shin Bet in recent months announced a series of alleged Iranian plots. In some of the cases, Iranians tried to trick Israelis online into carrying out missions. In January, authorities uncovered a scheme involving Israelis who were allegedly recruited to gather intelligence on high-profile figures.
In September, a man from the southern city of Ashkelon was arrested on allegations that he was smuggled into Iran twice and received payment to carry out missions on behalf of Tehran, and was recruited to assassinate either Israel’s prime minister, defense minister, or the head of the Shin Bet.
Then, on October 14, a man and his 18-year-old partner, both from Ramat Gan, were arrested on charges they carried out various acts of sabotage and vandalism on behalf of an Iranian agent.
On October 16, the Israel Police and State Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of a man from central Israel who allegedly acquired a weapon in order to kill an Israeli scientist on instructions from an Iranian agent, after performing several smaller tasks on the agent’s behalf.
And on Monday, it was announced that seven Israeli citizens, Jewish immigrants from Azerbaijan, had been arrested last month on suspicion of spying for Iran for as long as two years, carrying out hundreds of tasks at the behest of the Islamic Republic, motivated by a financial payout of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The suspects were accused of photographing and collecting information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya defense headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, which have been targeted by Iran and Hezbollah since the outbreak of the war last year.
The suspects announced Monday were also accused of gathering information on Iron Dome batteries, ports and energy infrastructure, including the power plant in Hadera, and allegedly received maps of strategic sites from their handlers.
