3 Israelis charged with severe security offenses, sharing classified info

The case was cleared for limited publication on Monday, after two of the defendants, the adult and the minor, were charged in court.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

The Israeli Police and the Shin Bet security service recently arrested an adult, an IDF soldier and a minor on charges of the possession, collection, delivery and publication of top-secret information, acts which caused significant damage to state security.

The case was cleared for limited publication on Monday, after two of the defendants, the adult and the minor, were charged in court.

The investigation began several weeks ago following publication of classified information on social media, which were picked up by the Shin Bet, leading them to suspect that someone was leaking top-secret items.

The Police Lahav 433 Unit, the Military Police and the Shin Bet, accompanied by the IDF Information Security Department and other security officials, conducted a joint investigation, which led to the exposure and arrest of several suspects.

Several suspects were arrested on May 24 for committing the offenses, and today three of them remain in custody. Two are civilians – an adult and a minor – and the third suspect is a soldier in regular service.

Two indictments were filed Monday.

One was filed in the Central District Court against the adult defendant, who served as a regular soldier and reservist in an intelligence unit in the IDF. The indictment attributes to the defendant a multiplicity of offenses of obtaining, collecting, registering and possessing confidential information, as well as a multiplicity of offenses of providing confidential information.

A second was filed against the minor, who is accused of receiving confidential information from the adult defendant and another soldier serving in an intelligence unit. He is suspected of sharing with his acquaintances confidential information and publishing some of it online to a wide and indefinite audience.

He will also be prosecuted for multiple offenses of keeping confidential information and providing confidential information.

The case of the soldier, who is suspected of providing confidential information to the minor, is currently being handled by the military prosecution.

Simultaneously with the filing of the indictments, a request was also submitted for the remand of the two civilian defendants until the end of the proceedings against them.

“As detailed in the indictments and arrest requests, a very serious and extensive security risk was caused as a result of the offenses committed by the defendants, as well as actual serious security damage. The risk assessment is based on the opinion of information security experts from the security authorities,” the Shin Bet stated Monday.

A gag order was placed on all other information.