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Seven people accused of spying for Iran in Jerusalem arrested by Israeli police – Israel News

Seven people accused of spying for Iran in Jerusalem arrested by Israeli police – Israel News

Police have arrested seven East Jerusalem residents on suspicion of spying for Iran, Israeli media reported Tuesday morning.

These arrests are in addition to the arrests made Monday morning. Israeli media reported that the seven people were arrested in September by Jerusalem police in collaboration with the Shin Bet.

The seven people were reportedly between the ages of 17 and 23 and from the Beit Safafa neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

The main suspect, Rami Alyan, allegedly contacted Iranian organizations and then recruited six others to help him carry out terrorist attacks. He confessed to conspiring to carry out terrorist activities, Israeli media said. In this report, Alyan confessed and confirmed that his motive was nationalistic and that he believed that contact with the Iranians would strengthen his influence in Arab society.

Maariv said prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against key figures next Wednesday, with charges expected to include providing support to the enemy during wartime and conspiracy to commit terrorist offenses.

The Iranian agent gave these suspects “test missions” for which they were paid. These tasks included setting vehicles on fire, graffiti, and purchasing grenades and ammunition. They also attempted to damage police vehicles. Kan noted that these suspects were asked to research details about one of the Israeli mayors in central Israel.

A general view image shows the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on June 19, 2017. (Source: AMMAR AWAD/REUTERS)

According to Israeli media reports, the suspects operated with the Iranian contact on the basis of an agreed “price list.”

Assassinating one of Israel’s top nuclear scientists would cost NIS 200,000, while photographing the scientists’ institute would cost up to NIS 500.

The suspects received about NIS 15,000 for the purchase of a weapon and a submachine gun. Setting vehicles on fire would earn the suspects up to 2,000 shekels per vehicle, Israeli media wrote.

Previous arrests made

This follows the arrest of another seven suspects, following reports on Monday that seven people were arrested on suspicion of spying for Iran, as confirmed by Israeli police and the Shin Bet.

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Prosecutors allege the suspects carried out around 600 missions for Iran, including gathering intelligence on sensitive military and infrastructure sites and identifying potential human targets for the Islamic Republic.

Notable sites involved in their alleged espionage included Ramat David air base, Nevatim air base, Glilot and the Golani Brigade base, where four soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone strike last week.

The seven suspects, Jewish Israelis of Azerbaijani origin from Haifa and the Haifa Bay suburbs, some of whom are relatives and one of whom is an unauthorized soldier, have been in custody for around 35 days. According to the police, two are minors.

Jacob Laznik, Eve Young and Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.