WASHINGTON (JTA) — A claim by Iranian television that an alleged spy had an Israeli passport appears to be based on a forgery.
Majid Jamali Fashi, who was hanged May 15 by Iranian authorities, had been accused of killing an Iranian nuclear scientist with a remote-controlled bomb attached to a motorcycle outside the scientist’s home.
Following the hanging, Iranian TV released an image of an Israeli passport with Fashi’s photo, saying it proved that Fashi was an agent for Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.
A number of bloggers questioned the authenticity of the passport.
Emanuele Ottolenghi of Commentary magazine noted this week that Fashi is looking away from the camera in the alleged passport and that he appears to be an adult.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
The passport has a 2003 issue date when Fashi would have been 15.
In a follow-up, the Harry’s place blog says that the facsimile displayed by Iranian TV shares exact details with a facsimile of an Israeli passport available through Wikipedia: Both were issued on Nov. 17, 2003 in Netanya.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
