Israeli man charged with spying for Iran, plotting attacks

The Shin Bet alleged in a statement on Tuesday that the man was in contact with Iranian agents abroad, where he was given money, guidance and encryption tools.

The man was expected to provide information on strategic Israeli sites, ways to promote division in Israeli society, carry out attacks against Israeli targets and enlist Palestinian citizens of Israel to assist Iran, the Shin Bet said.

The accused was allegedly in contact with a Lebanese member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group. He is also alleged to have met two people in Hungary who said they worked for the Iranian security forces, according to the BBC.

The Shin Bet said Iranian security officials were in talks with the man to recruit Palestinian citizens of Israel to carry out attacks.

The man was arrested last month and indicted on Tuesday for "infringement of the security of Israel".

His identity was barred from publication by an Israeli court.

The Shin Bet said the arrest highlighted Iranian attempts "to carry out spy and terror activity within Israel, this also at a time when the world is facing the coronavirus epidemic which has badly spread in Iran".

Iran has witnessed the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the Middle East region. On Tuesday, the country's death toll rose to 3,872 amid 62,589 confirmed cases of the highly contagious virus.

Agencies contributed to this report

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