Israeli Citizen Accused of Spying for Iran Convicted in Court

A court in Israel convicted the first suspect among about 30 citizens of the country who have been identified and arrested in recent months on charges of espionage and connections with Iranian intelligence agents. Moti Maman, a 72-year-old businessman in Istanbul who also holds Turkish citizenship and was arrested four months ago, was convicted on Thursday, December 27, in the Beersheba court. The length of his sentence has not yet been determined. Israeli media reported that Mr. Maman was convicted for cooperating with the Islamic Republic and advancing Iran's plot to kill current and former prime ministers and other officials, but his lawyer told the media that his client was convicted on counts of having 'connections with Iranian intelligence agents and two illegal trips to the enemy country.' The lawyer added that the charges of 'espionage' and 'treason' were not included in the indictment. The prosecution stated that 'no plea bargain' has been made regarding the charges against this defendant and emphasized that other suspects accused of spying for Iran should also be tried without any leniency. The convicted individual admitted that after meeting with Turkish businessmen, he was taken twice this summer in hidden trucks to a location in Iran, where Iranian intelligence agents asked him to advance a plan to kill the Israeli Prime Minister. According to his lawyer and Israeli media, during the second secret trip, Iranian agents pressured him to propose a plan to kill Naftali Bennett, the former prime minister, or other Israeli officials, such as the head of the security agency, if he could not kill Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr. Maman's lawyer stated that during the second meeting, he told the Iranian agents that security measures for the lives of current and former Israeli officials and the strong intelligence oversight of Israeli security agencies would never allow such plots to be executed. The judge ruled that the defendant continued these communications 'out of greed for money.' This is the first conviction after the start of the war between Israel and the extremist group Hamas. Israel has not yet tried hundreds of Hamas members it has arrested. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Israeli police allowed the media to report from section '171' in a prison in the country, which is used to hold 26 suspects accused of spying for Iran. Most of the suspects are apparently in separate cells, except for two who are cellmates. Seven are Palestinians from East Jerusalem, and the rest are Jewish. Two suspects are underage, and the father of one of them is accused of leading one of the espionage rings. The police commander responsible for this prison told the media that although these detainees are citizens, they have been ordered by the Minister of National Security and the Chief of Police to be treated like the most dangerous terrorists of the extremist group Hamas and to include measures for 'elite forces' of Hamas. According to this commander, transferring the suspects to other sections is not possible to prevent 'information leaks.' This senior commander added that additional cells are also ready in this special section because more Israelis will soon be introduced to the courts for trial on espionage charges. His statement apparently indicates the detention of individuals who are still under investigation and whose arrests have not been reported in the media. During an interview with a Kan reporter in the hallway of this section, one of the detainees said from behind his cell door, 'Drawing graffiti is not spying for Iran.' The arrests of Israeli citizens on charges of spying for Iran have occurred amid escalating military tensions between the two countries. The Israeli security agency states that, apart from Moti Maman, the other suspects have been recruited through social media by Iranian intelligence agents and have received cryptocurrency in exchange for carrying out various missions, from drawing graffiti to procuring weapons to kill a former Mossad official and a nuclear scientist.