Two Israelis have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a joint statement on Monday.
An indictment was filed against the pair earlier in the day at the Central District Court in Lod.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old from the city of Ness Ziona, was apprehended in March by the Shin Bet and the Central Police District’s Central Unit on suspicion of maintaining contact with Iranian agents and carrying out tasks under their direction, the statement read.
(The Central Unit is the elite district-level unit responsible for investigating serious crimes, organized crime and drug trafficking.)
During questioning, he revealed that had been in contact online with an Iranian agent for several months, during which he shared his personal identifying details and information about his family members, police said.
Investigators also found that the defendant agreed to undergo training in an Arab country and was asked to recruit additional individuals to carry out missions on behalf of the handlers.
The foreign agent even threatened several of the suspect’s family members, which did not deter him from maintaining contact with the handler.
According to Ynet, the Ness Ziona man sought pecuniary gains for his conduct. He moreover purchased a place ticket to Dubai to meet with his Iranian handler, the report added.
The young man further revealed that he had enlisted the second suspect, a 21-year-old from Beit Oved, a moshav of the outskirts of Ness Ziona, to help carry out a task for the foreign agent.
Police said that the suspects face serious charges.
