Israel says it thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate scientist and mayor

Israeli security agency Shin Bet announced on Tuesday that it thwarted an Iranian plan to assassinate a senior scientist and mayor, reported news agency ANI.

“According to the information accumulated in the defense establishment, scientists and mayors, as well as senior officials of the defense establishment and other Israeli officials are targets for attack by Iranian elements,” Shin Bet said.

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Security officials arrested seven suspects who had allegedly been recruited by Iranian forces. The suspects all reside in Beit Safafa, an Arab neighbourhood of Jerusalem, though some of them were Israeli nationals.

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The neighbourhood they come from also carries historical significance as the 1949 armistice line drawn at the end of Israel's War of Independence, or the ‘Green Line’ as it is known, runs through it.

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The Israeli police identified the main suspect as a 23-year-old Israeli national, who was the contact person for Iranian agents. The Israeli youth then recruited others to form a team that would help him with his assignments.

These assignments included spraying graffiti in various locations, setting fire to vehicles in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood, and gathering intelligence, reported ANI.

During the police investigation, it emerged that the suspects were asked to attack a senior Israeli scientist, and against the mayor of a large city. However, the identities of the targets were not publicly disclosed.

The suspects had also planned to blow up a police car and throw a grenade at a house.

Israeli security officials said that the suspects were offered 200,000 shekels (USD 53,000) to carry out these tasks. Some of the suspects photographed the targeted scientist's home, for which they were paid 500 shekels (USD 132).

Investigators found a fake police identification plate, around 50,000 shekels ($13,000) in cash, and a large number of credit cards during a search at a suspect's home.

On Monday, it was revealed that seven Israelis, including two minors, were arrested for spying for Iran in a separate case. They were allegedly collecting information and providing photos of four Israeli military bases to a Russian agent in exchange for cash and cryptocurrency.

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