Israeli citizen arrested for plotting with Iran to attack Netanyahu

Israel's Police and Shin Bet (the Internal Intelligence Services) announced the arrest of an Israeli citizen who is a accused of conspiring with Iran to assassinate senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a joint statement, the two agencies reported that "an Israeli citizen was recruited by Iranian intelligence to promote assassinations of Israeli figures. He was smuggled twice into Iran and received payment for carrying out missions.” According to the information that has transpired, among those targeted were Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, as well as other senior officials.

Although the identity of the detainee was not initially provided, Israeli media subsequently published that he is Moti Meman, a 73 year old and resident of Ashkelon. Authorities defined him as, "a businessman who lived in Turkey for a long period," and who maintained contacts with Turkish and Iranian individuals.

Clandestine meetings in Iran

The police and Shin Bet noted that Meman "was smuggled into Iran on two occasions and received payments to carry out missions on behalf of Tehran." The Intelligence agency noted that, in April this year, Maman agreed, through the mediation of two Turkish nationals - named by the Shin Bet as Andrey Farouk Aslan and Junayd Aslan - to go to the home of a businessman residing in Iran identified as Eddy, to discuss business activities.

In that meeting, Eddy asked Meman to carry out various missions in Israel for the Iranian regime, including delivering money or weapons at specific locations, photographing crowded public areas and threatening other Israeli civilians who were collaborating with the Ayatollahs' Regime but were not carrying out their assignments, according to the Shin Bet.

"Good thing they stopped me."

The suspect would return a second time to Eddy's home, after being smuggled into the country in a truck. This time, several Iranian intelligence officers took part in the meeting and asked him to "advance attacks" against Netanyahu, Gallant and the head of the Shin Bet. In addition, they proposed that he contact Russian and U.S. citizens to charge them with the murder of dissident Iranians in the countries where they take refuge, as well as recruit a member of the Mossad to work as a double agent. After refusing a request to advance $1 million for his services to Meman, the Iranians handed him $5,000 and told him they would get back in touch with him.

Although the arrest occurred last month, agencies have released information after charges were filed Thursday against the suspect, reports the Times of Israel. On his return to Israel, he was taken into custody. According to several media outlets, Meman told the agents: "Good thing you arrested me, I don't know where I could have ended up."