Haifa resident to be indicted on suspicion of spying for Iran

Police and Shin Bet agents arrested a resident of Haifa last month on suspicion of spying for Iran, and expect an indictment to be filed against him later this week.

According to police and Shin Bet spokespeople, 28-year-old Dmitri Cohen gathered intelligence on Israeli citizens, taking photos of their homes and surrounding areas, which he then passed on to his Iranian handler. He was reportedly promised $500 for each task he carried out, and received thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency since first coming into contact with the Iranian agent. He used a separate phone for his espionage activities.

One of Cohen’s targets was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s daughter-in-law to be, Amit Yardeni, Hebrew media outlets report. She was set to marry his son Avner last week, but their wedding was postponed due to the outbreak of war with Iran.

Cohen was arrested a month ago, before the outbreak of war with Iran, by police officers in the Coastal District’s investigations and intelligence unit, in cooperation with the Shin Bet.

A prosecutor’s declaration was filed against Cohen this morning, the police and Shin Bet say. State prosecutors in the Haifa District Attorney’s Office are expected to file charges against him in the coming days.

The man is one of dozens of suspects thought to have passed sensitive information to Iranian agents in recent years.

Police also recently detained a 19-year-old from the Sharon region on suspicion of spying for Tehran, Ynet reports today. The young man is thought to have contacted an Iranian agent and passed along confidential information to him over the course of the war. The case is reportedly being handled by the Shin Bet. Police have not yet commented on the arrest of the unnamed 19-year-old.