IDF opens new probe into dead intel officer affair; may list him as fallen soldier
Investigation headed by former general won’t examine mysterious death in prison while awaiting charges, but rather ‘overall vision’ of incidents, determine his status in military
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday said a new external probe would be opened into the incidents surrounding the mysterious death of a Military Intelligence officer last year while in jail facing security charges.
The officer — known as Senior Academic Officer “Tav,” the first initial of his Hebrew name and his rank (the equivalent of Cpt.) — was being held in jail under accusations of grave security offenses.
He was found dead in his cell in May 2021, but there was no clear sign of the cause of his death. An autopsy in Israel, as well as a blood test at a specialized forensic laboratory in the United States, were inconclusive.
A lengthy police review of the military’s first probe determined in June that he was not killed by “a deliberate act” committed by another person.
The new probe, headed by Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, the former head of IDF Operations, will “examine the event with a systematic approach and overall vision,” the IDF said.
The military said the panel would examine the screening process of intelligence officers and other aspects of Tav’s service until his arrest, including “oversight mechanisms” in the unit he served in.
It will also address the way the army implemented lessons learned from the incident, and determine the officer’s status when he died.
It will not, however, further investigate the causes of Tav’s death. A second IDF probe into his death is in its final stages and its findings (expected to again be inconclusive) will be presented to the military prosecution in the near future, the IDF said.
The family has called for the military to recognize the officer as a fallen soldier; Tav did not receive a military burial as he had been released from service while under arrest.
According to the Ynet news site, the IDF is inclined to recognize him as a soldier at the time of his death, as the family has requested.
The officer’s family and lawyer were updated on the launching of the new probe, the IDF said.
The officer, who served in a Military Intelligence technology unit, was facing expected charges for nearly two dozen offenses, as well as an expected 10-year-or-longer prison sentence. IDF chief of staff Aviv Kohavi said the officer had nearly caused damage to a state secret, but the damage was prevented at the last minute, following his arrest.
He was being held in prison while his attorneys and military prosecutors were negotiating a potential plea deal. On the night of May 16, 2021, he was found in serious condition in his cell and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Though no official cause of death has been determined according to the IDF, military officials indicated off the record it appeared to be a suicide.
Tav’s full name and picture are barred from publication by the IDF military censor.
