From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 30, 2024
Israeli who apparently spied for Iran accused of arson, graffiti, photographing near Gantz’s home
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A resident of the central city of Petah Tikva has been arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of “foreign elements,” the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of plots involving civilians apparently recruited by Iran that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months.
Alexander Granovsky, 29, was detained over suspicions he was “committing security offenses after he was suspected of being involved in several vehicle arsons on behalf of foreign elements,” the Shin Bet and police say.
According to the investigation, since November, Granovsky was in contact with “terror elements” from abroad, and carried out “a large number of different security tasks for them,” for monetary gain.
The Shin Bet says Granovsky knew that the tasks had “potential to harm the security of the state.”
The agency does not explicitly say that Iran was behind the plot, but the tasks bear similarity to previous alleged Iranian attempts.
The tasks that Granovsky carried out, according to the Shin Bet, included: setting fire to eight vehicles across Israel; graffitiing “Children of Ruhollah,” referring to Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme leader of Iran; photographing a state-owned facility in central Israel; photographing the entrance to the neighborhood where former defense minister and MK Benny Gantz lives and sending it to his handlers; sending his handlers information about an Israeli civilian for the purpose of examining his recruitment for various tasks; purchasing military uniforms for a video in which he would burn them; and more.
An indictment is set to be filed against Granovsky in the coming days.
The incident marks at least the 13th alleged Iranian espionage plot revealed by Israeli authorities in recent months.
The Times of Israel Community.