An Israeli civilian from the northern city of Nof Hagalil was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet security agency and police say, the latest in a series of espionage cases.
The suspect, Artyom Zolotarev, 33, was detained in November over suspicions he was “committing security offenses related to contact with Iranian intelligence officials and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain,” according to the Shin Bet.
The agency says Zolotarev was detained after he graffitied numerous slogans against the government in Nof Hagalil, Haifa, and Migdal Ha’emek, as well as setting fire to a car in Haifa.
The joint Shin Bet and police investigation found that in October, Zolotarev was in contact with a figure online using the handle “Eliad,” who suggested he perform tasks of spraying graffiti against the government to change the civil situation in Israel.”
Zolotarev carried out the graffiti missions and filmed his acts, which he sent to his handler. After sending the footage to Eliad, Zolotarev erased the graffiti, according to the investigation.
The Shin Bet says Zolotarev received $2,800 in cryptocurrency for carrying out the mission.
Later, Zolotarev would realize that Eliad was an Iranian agent.
The Shin Bet says the suspect figured this out after first refusing to carry out several missions including taking photos of residential buildings and an electrical transformer, and burning a car, and later seeing news reports on TikTok regarding the arrest of Moti Maman, an Israeli charged with being smuggled into Iran twice being tasked with assassinating the prime minister, defense minister, or head of the Shin Bet, and the arrests of other suspects in Iran-related spying cases.
After Zolotarev became aware that Eliad was an Iranian agent, the suspect was offered the task of murdering someone for $125,000, and then being smuggled to Russia or Iran, the investigation found. Zolotarev was also asked to purchase a gun to pass it on to someone else, but he refused both of these offers, according to the Shin Bet.
Still, the Shin Bet says, at the request of his Iranian handler, Zolotarev set fire to a car in Haifa in exchange for $2,000.
Later, Eliad would direct Zolotarev to speak to another Iranian operative using the name “Boaz Mar,” and he carried out several more missions in Haifa and Afula, the investigation found.
Zolotarev graffitied “Children of Ruhollah” — referring to Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme leader of Iran — in Haifa and Afula, and set fire to another car in Haifa. He also took a video of the car arson and sent it to Boaz Mar, the Shin Bet says.
He was rewarded with thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency for the acts, the agency adds.
An indictment is being filed against Zolotarev this morning at the Nazareth district court for contact with a foreign agent, arson, and vandalism.
Source » timesofisrael