A dual national arrested in Iran during June’s 12-day war with Israel and charged with espionage holds Swedish citizenship, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary announced on Tuesday.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said the defendant obtained Swedish citizenship in 2020 and was recruited by Israeli intelligence services in 2023, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency.
“This person was identified and arrested on charges of spying for the Zionist regime during the 12-Day War,” Jahangir said, without naming the suspect.
The spokesman said the individual met with Israeli agents in six European capitals for training, made several trips to Israel and entered Iran a month before the war began. Authorities arrested the suspect in Alborz Province near Tehran, where he had settled in a villa near Karaj while allegedly carrying electronic surveillance equipment.
Jahangir said the defendant has confessed and a verdict will be issued soon.
The arrest is one of several espionage cases since the June 13-24 conflict, which began with Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities and escalated to include U.S. involvement. Iran has said that it executed at least nine people convicted of spying for Israel since the war, according to AFP.
In October, Iran enacted legislation mandating the death penalty and asset confiscation for espionage on behalf of Israel, the U.S. or other governments deemed hostile.
Several Europeans remain detained in Iran, including French couple Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, held since May 2022.
