20-year-old US citizen arrested in Jerusalem, to be charged with spying for Iran

Police say the man took photos, videos of ‘sensitive sites’ on handler’s behalf, earned hundreds of dollars for espionage before his arrest

By Charlie Summers

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Today, 10:38 pm

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A 20-year-old US citizen residing in the Jerusalem area will be charged in court of security offenses for allegedly spying on Iran’s behalf, police said Tuesday.

The man was arrested June 9 by Jerusalem District police on suspicion of maintaining contact with an Iran-linked agent, police said, in an announcement of his forthcoming indictment.

In the months leading up to his arrest, the suspect carried out various missions for the agent, which included taking photos and videos of “sensitive sites,” police said. For each task, he allegedly received dozens to hundreds of dollars.

A prosecutor’s declaration was filed against the suspect Tuesday, signaling he will be formally charged in the coming days.

Police requested that the court keep the man in custody until the end of legal proceedings against him. The investigation into the alleged espionage was conducted jointly by the Shin Bet and police and while underway was subject to a sweeping gag order.

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No details were available on the identity of the suspect, and there was no immediate comment from the US embassy.

“In recent months, several defendants have been exposed for espionage on behalf of the enemy, some of whom committed the acts during wartime and therefore assisted the enemy in actualizing its plots within Israeli territory,” said Ch. Insp. Amichai Fenta, a Jerusalem District police detective who probed the American suspect.

“We will continue together with the Shin Bet to locate and expose offenses of this kind, to arrest and prosecute every person who harms and endangers the security of the state and its citizens,” Fenta continued.

The detained American national is the latest in a string of suspects accused of spying for Iran. Most of the alleged spies are Israeli citizens contacted through social media by faceless Iran-linked agents, who promise money to recruits in exchange for their cooperation.

Agents usually start out assigning Israeli recruits mundane tasks such as vandalism, but the requests often escalate into serious offenses like espionage and intelligence gathering.

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