An Iranian-Belgian Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Espionage for Iran in Israel

A court in Israel on Tuesday, April 1, sentenced an Iranian-Belgian citizen to seven years in prison for espionage for Iran. According to Agence France-Presse, Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, stated that the individual is Ali Mansouri, who traveled to Israel under the guise of a businessman and was arrested in 2013 at Ben Gurion Airport while leaving the country, where several photos of the U.S. Embassy and other locations were discovered in his belongings. Documents released by judicial authorities indicate that this individual was convicted of 'aiding the enemy in wartime' and 'espionage' for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. After the trial concluded in the city of Lod in central Israel, Avigdor Feldman, Mansouri's defense attorney, told reporters that he doubted his client would appeal. He added, 'We argued in court that my client's actions did not jeopardize Israel's security and that Iranian intelligence agencies pressured him and his family to force him into this work. In our view, given the circumstances of the case, the court's ruling is fair.' A reporter from Agence France-Presse present in the courtroom noted that armed officers brought 56-year-old Mansouri, handcuffed, to the defendant's area, which was a separate glass booth in the empty courtroom. Mansouri appeared very distressed upon hearing the court's ruling. His defense attorney approached the glass booth and told him in English that his sentence was seven years in prison. Mansouri responded, 'I want to see you.' The Israeli internal security agency claims that Mansouri, who acquired Belgian citizenship through marriage, became a member of one of the special operations units of the Revolutionary Guards after agreeing to cooperate with Iranian intelligence agencies in 2012. According to the indictment against Mansouri, 'espionage missions aimed at harming Israel's security' were assigned to him, and he traveled to the country three times for this purpose. Mansouri is accused of establishing a commercial company in Israel under the guise of a businessman, which was intended to be used as a cover for espionage activities by individuals who would later come to Israel. The Israeli prosecution states that Mansouri confessed to having connections with Iranian intelligence agencies. During his interrogation, he admitted that he was to receive about one million euros in exchange for his cooperation and the establishment of a commercial company that would be used 'to harm Israeli and Western targets.' According to evidence from the Israeli prosecution, Mansouri first traveled to the country in July 2012 under the alias 'Alex Manz' with a Belgian passport and transmitted information about how to bypass the security system at Ben Gurion Airport to his Iranian contact. His next trip was in January 2013, during which he took photos of the U.S. Embassy and an unnamed security center and provided this information to his contacts in Iran. His third trip was on September 6, 2013, when he arranged to establish a company that was to be used for espionage activities in the future. He was arrested on September 11, 2013, while leaving Israel.