Jerusalem man accused of spying for Iran, planning terror attack

Erdler Israel Amoyal, 23, allegedly carried out surveillance, vandalism tasks; searched internet for bomb-making instructions, proposed targeting Jerusalem light rail’s system

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

A Red Line light rail train passes the Old City walls in Jerusalem. (Courtesy, Jerusalem Transportation Masterplan team)
A Red Line light rail train passes the Old City walls in Jerusalem. (Courtesy, Jerusalem Transportation Masterplan team)

An Israeli resident of Jerusalem was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran and planning a terror attack, the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police said Tuesday, the latest in a series of plots involving citizens allegedly recruited by Iran that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months.

The suspect, Erdler Israel Amoyal, 23, was detained in November over suspicions he was “committing security offenses related to contact with intelligence officials of the Iranian regime and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain,” according to the Shin Bet.

The announcement came a little over a week after police said a man in the north of the country was arrested on suspicion of carrying out acts of vandalism on behalf of Iran.

The latest investigation found that since October, Amoyal was in contact with Iranian intelligence elements via social media. The Shin Bet said he was first in contact with a profile using the handle “Arianna,” who later transferred him to “John,” who became his handler.

According to the investigation, Amoyal was aware that John was an Iranian operative, but he still agreed to carry out surveillance and other missions, including photographing various addresses and spraying graffiti.

The Shin Bet said Amoyal took photos of a paper with the words “Making Peace” in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, graffitied the word “Sinwar” in Tel Aviv, and took photos of several houses and streets in Netanya and Jerusalem.

Illustrative: A handcuffed man in Jerusalem. (Olivier Fitoussi /FLASH90)

Amoyal purchased a GoPro camera to film his actions, and sent footage to his handler John, the agency said. He also edited a video of a car burning, the Shin Bet said, although it was unclear if he carried out the act.

In addition, Amoyal allegedly searched social media to purchase a firearm and silencer, along with materials to manufacture a bomb. The Shin Bet said he watched instructional videos on how to build an explosive device, in order to carry out a terror attack in Israel.

Amoyal was also asked to recruit others to carry out missions for Iran, especially people with criminal backgrounds, the agency said.

According to the Shin Bet, Amoyal offered his handler to torch a police cruiser and shut down power to the Jerusalem light rail. He filmed various areas of the rail in an attempt to locate the power components, and sent the footage to John, the agency said.

Amoyal was rewarded with cryptocurrency for his actions, the Shin Bet said.

An indictment is expected to be filed against Amoyal in the coming days.

The Shin Bet said the case again “shows the efforts made by Iranian intelligence to draft Israeli citizens for the purpose of espionage and terror in Israel, and the readiness of Israeli citizens to carry out the missions under Iranian direction, knowing the identity of the handlers, all for financial gain.”

Police said in the statement that “spying for an enemy state, at a time of war, and in general, is a serious and dangerous offense that amounts to treason against the state.”

Israel is currently battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war started by the Palestinian terror group on October 7, 2023, when it led a massive cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

An Israeli man is detained on suspicion of spying for Iran in a picture released on December 9, 2024. (Israel Police)

Iran-backed proxies in Iraq and Yemen have fired drones and missiles at Israel in support of Gaza. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group also began attacking Israel the day after the Hamas assault in a conflict that spiraled into open war during which Israel battered Hezbollah, forcing a ceasefire last month.

Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah are all avowed to destroy Israel.

Since September, Israeli authorities have announced arrests in seven separate cases involving individuals or cells suspected of spying or plotting attacks on behalf of Iran. In some, Tehran tried to trick Israelis online into carrying out missions on its behalf. In other cases, individuals are alleged to have knowingly operated on its behalf for monetary gain.

Last week, police said that Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials. He is suspected of graffitiing anti-government and pro-Iran slogans in several northern cities and setting fire to cars in Haifa on separate occasions.

In September, seven Jewish Israelis were arrested on suspicion of spying on security figures and IDF bases for Iran. They were accused of collecting information for their Iranian contacts about several Israeli citizens, including a senior security figure, and may have been part of a plot to ultimately assassinate the figure. Maman was also arrested that month.

On October 14, a Ramat Gan man and his 18-year-old partner were arrested on charges that 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 to kill an Israeli scientist on instructions from an Iranian agent, after performing several smaller tasks on the agent’s behalf.

On October 22, seven East Jerusalem men, six of them Israeli citizens, were arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran and plotting attacks in Israel.

Those cases came after authorities in January uncovered a scheme involving Israelis who were allegedly recruited to gather intelligence on high-profile figures.

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