Israeli authorities arrested a Ben-Gurion University student earlier this month for allegedly carrying out tasks at the direction of the Iranian regime, according to a police statement released on Thursday.
Bashar Hassan Qassem Musa, 22, from Deir al-Asad, a village in the Galilee, was apprehended in a joint operation by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Northern District Police’s Central Unit, a special team that investigates serious crimes.
According to the investigation, Musa had been in contact with an Iranian operative for several months, carrying out missions under his direction. He allegedly performed various tasks, including “an attempted attack on an individual, scattering nails on a main road in Beersheva, and encouraging divisive discourse.”
The investigation further revealed that the suspect carried out these tasks “out of identification with events in the Gaza Strip,” and received financial compensation.
An indictment is expected to be filed against Musa, according to the statement.
An Israeli from Haifa was arrested last month on charges of spying for the Islamic Republic, the Shin Bet said on Monday.
Separately, on June 15, Israeli security forces arrested two Jewish citizens on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence.
More than 20 Iranian espionage plots have been thwarted since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, highlighting efforts by Tehran to recruit Israeli civilians for missions aimed at undermining national security.
