Israel Police and Shin Bet have arrested Moshe Attias, an 18-year-old resident of Yavne, accused of being a spy for the Islamic Republic of Iran and conducting missions for the regime, both organizations announced on Sunday.
The arrest, which took place in April, was carried out in a joint operation by the police’s Lahav 433 unit alongside the Shin Bet.
Attias was reportedly in contact with terror officials from the Islamic Republic in exchange for payment while aware that his activities endangered Israel’s security, the police and Shin Bet said.
Police and Shin Bet added that the Iranian official who was in contact with the suspect had him document the hospital floor where former prime minister Naftali Bennett was staying when hospitalized for a week in April. Attias also described to the Iranian official how the room had guards securing the former prime minister.
“I will not be deterred from continuing to act,” Bennett said, in response to the announcement of Attias’s arrest. “Tehran, not Tel Aviv, should be on the defensive,” he added.
“I trust all [our] security forces and [will] continue my tours and meetings with the Israeli public throughout the country. Iranian attempts to assassinate world leaders have failed and will fail here as well,” he said.
Previous arrests made in regards to suspects working for Iran
Previous arrests of suspects working for Iran
In late March, Shin Bet and police also arrested another individual, a resident of Netivot, accused of carrying out espionage operations for Iranian intelligence agents.
Earlier that month, a resident of Beersheba was arrested on suspicion of offering to sell an Iranian agent information on Israel’s Negev Nuclear Research Center.
An indictment was also filed last October against seven residents of Haifa and northern Israel, suspected of operating an Iranian spy cell for approximately two years.
Almost two weeks before the arrests of the seven, another two Israelis, Ramat Gan residents, were arrested by the Shin Bet and Lahav 433 for planning to carry out an assassination on behalf of the Islamic Republic.