Israeli police arrest Israelis for espionage working for Iran - Israel News

Two Israelis arrested for suspected espionage were caught red-handed, Israeli Police Chief Inspector Yossi Elkarif said Thursday.

“They were completing a mission given to them by their Iranian handler – a photography mission,” he said, adding that they had been stopped at a hotel in the Tel Aviv area.

Elkarif, an investigative commander of the Israel Police’s Yachbal Unit, which is part of the National Crime Unit 433, described the joint work of Israeli police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which say intelligence and evidence flows between the organizations.

When asked about the recent arrests and indictments of approximately two dozen people suspected of espionage for IranElkarif says it is important to note that these are the result of longer processes.

It is important “to understand that we have been at war for a year and a month,” he said.

An illustrative image of an Israeli police officer. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)

“We are aware of the media and the fact that it appears to the public that we are arresting wave after wave after wave (of those suspected of espionage), but it is important to understand that behind the fencing work is done over a longer period of time,” he said.

Although police are looking at each case individually, there are connections between a number of cases, he explained.

“Some of the recent cases that have become public involve the involvement of an Iranian handler who is known (to the security forces) from other cases.

These cases are also similar in the pattern of mission progression, he explained.

A pattern that repeats itself

“There is a certain pattern of action that repeats itself: missions are very general and easy to perform at the beginning, and escalate in later phases.”

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In later stages, missions could include tracking people or photographing sensitive locations, he gave as an example.

Elaborating on the motives of those suspected of espionage, Elkarif said that “in some cases the motivation was financial, (while) in some cases it was disappointment in the state for various reasons.”

Elkarif emphasized that there is no clear indicator or pattern showing who might commit acts of espionage for a hostile state.

They could be “the nicest people we saw as our neighbors, and they could also be people we never thought fit the type.”

The suspects are of all genders, ages and ethnicities, he said.

In addition, there are certain limitations that Iranian handlers have that could lead them to target certain people, he said. Iran is limited by language and geography, among other things, he said.

Elkarif explained that some contact has been made online by handlers and that “Israeli citizens should be very alert to attempts by hostile states to contact them (in an attempt to get them) to carry out various actions.”

This type of contact must be reported to Israeli authorities.

Elkarif said he feels comforted knowing the work Israeli security agencies are doing in the fight against espionage.

“At this stage we know we are thwarting many plans and preventing threats from being realised.”

In recent months, the unit has “worked around the clock on many incidents (related to espionage).”

“Ultimately, as a citizen of the State of Israel, I can place my trust in the various security organizations, including enforcement.”