Israeli Man Indicted for Alleged Collaboration with Iranian Agents and Plotting Terror Attacks

The State Attorney's Office recently filed an indictment against a resident of southern Israel, accusing him of crimes against state security, including contact with a foreign agent and entering an enemy state without permission.

According to the indictment the defendant, 72-year-old Mordechai Maman, had meetings, including joint sessions on Iranian soil, with Iranian agents acting on behalf of the intelligence services of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Maman entered Iran twice and, during these meetings with Iranian agents, discussed the possibility of carrying out acts of terrorism in Israel to severely damage the security of the State of Israel. This, among other reasons, was motivated by the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the Iranian regime's desire to retaliate against Israel, which they attribute to the assassination.

Additionally, according to the indictment, the Iranian agents and the defendant discussed the possibility of assassinating senior Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar.

When Maman explained that such assassinations were not feasible due to the high level of security surrounding these figures, other acts of terrorism and espionage in Israel were discussed. This included the possibility of assassinating former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as well as municipal leaders, transferring funds, providing photographic intelligence to Iranian agents documenting crowded places in Israel, and even establishing assassination squads in Russia and the United States, to be operated by the defendant to eliminate opponents of the Iranian regime.

The defendant, motivated by financial gain, demanded an advance payment of one million dollars from the Iranian intelligence agents before carrying out any actions. As a result, the meetings did not lead to any concrete acts of terrorism or espionage, as the agents had requested.

The indictment states that the defendant knowingly engaged in contact with foreign agents without justification, fully aware that they intended to commit acts harmful to Israel's security. Additionally, the defendant illegally entered Iran, defined as an enemy state under Israeli law.

The case was investigated by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police's National Serious and International Crimes Unit (Lahav 433). The prosecution has requested that the defendant be detained until the end of legal proceedings.

The detention request highlighted the defendant's extreme danger, noting his repeated entries into Iranian territory, the nature and content of his meetings with Iranian agents, and the severity of the terrorist and espionage acts discussed. Moreover, it emphasized that the only reason his criminal-security activities ceased was due to the Iranian regime's refusal to meet his financial demands.