Soldier indicted for espionage after leaking intel to activists

Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, of Bat Ayin charged for disclosing military secrets; confesses to taking classified documents from army

An IDF soldier was indicted Monday for espionage and disclosure of sensitive information, after he reportedly leaked classified military information to right-wing activists.

Due to the severity of the charge, the approval of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein was required before the indictment.

Elad Yaakov Sela, 25, of the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, stands accused of handing over classified army intel regarding planned arrests of right-wing activists and army action against Palestinian terrorists. Three residents of Bat Ayin were also arrested in connection with the case earlier this week.

A statement from the Shin Bet said Sela confessed to taking classified army documents on the forthcoming arrests of residents of Bat Ayin, and presenting them to the right-wing activists. The Shin Bet said it was treating the case “seriously.”

The Shin Bet said it had launched its investigation after a mosque in a Palestinian village near Bat Ayin was torched and vandalized on February 15. The army entered the settlement to arrest several right-wing activists suspected of involvement in the nationalistic attack, and were met with violence, prompting a soldier to fire in the air. The incident led investigators to believe the residents had received advance warning of the arrests.

At the Military Advocate General’s request, the military court in Jaffa ordered Sela’s remand extended by four hours on Monday.

Sela, a corporal in the Shahar project for ultra-Orthodox recruits, was arrested several weeks ago by the Judea and Samaria district police unit, which deals with nationalistically motivated crimes. An investigation revealed that he had provided information dozens of times about military activities against Palestinian terrorists. He also allegedly leaked information about arrests of right-wing activists suspected of nationalistically motivated crimes.

Sela was hospitalized in Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva two weeks ago for a hiatal hernia, which requires surgery. Family members said that his medical condition had worsened because of the conditions under which the Shin Bet security service was holding him. “We do not wish to describe what he suffers during the interrogations,” people close to him said. “The pressure of the interrogations is affecting his health, which is a red light that should concern us all.”