Israeli to be indicted for spying on Gantz for Iran

He is also accused of committing acts of arson and setting fire to eight vehicles in incidents across the country.

By JNS

Prosecutors plan to indict a resident of a suburb of Tel Aviv on charges of spying for Iran on former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, according to information cleared for publication on Monday.

Alexander Granovsky, 29, from Petach Tikvah, is accused of photographing infrastructure sites in central Israel and planning to photograph for Iran the entrance to the Neve Afek neighborhood in Rosh Ha’ayin ,where Gantz, who is chairman of the National Unity Party, lives.

The former defense minister’s home address is not secret and can be found on Google, along with detailed pictures of the street where he lives and his neighborhood.

Granovsky is also alleged to have provided information about another Israeli to assess that person’s potential for recruitment for terrorist activities.

Granovsky, who has a criminal record, allegedly committed acts of vandalism for Iran in addition to the surveillance of Gantz.

He was involved in psychological warfare operations, including vandalism, graffiti against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and bought IDF uniforms to set them on fire for an online video, Israel Hayom reported.

He is further accused of committing acts of arson, setting fire to eight vehicles in incidents across the country.

Authorities claim he spray-painted the phrase “Children of Ruhollah,” a reference to an Iranian espionage operation named after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic.

“I need money. The Iranians pay, I execute,” he reportedly told interrogators. Granovsky allegedly began working for the Iranians in November, receiving several hundred shekels per action.

Granovsky’s handlers discussed obtaining weapons, including rifles and grenades, and tasked him with gathering information on the home addresses of Israeli ministers. He was also allegedly asked to set fire to police vehicles and buses.

The information, which had been the subject of a gag order, was cleared for publication after prosecutors filed a statement saying an indictment was expected in the coming days at the Central District Court in Lod.

Granovsky is the latest of more than 30 Israelis arrested over the past year for allegedly carrying out missions for Iran.

The alleged spies caught so far had limited access to classified materials, but their number is unprecedented, Israel Police Supt. Maor Goren, who oversees counterintelligence investigations, told CNN this month.

“If we go check the last years—the last decades—we can count on two hands how many people got arrested for this,” Goren said.

The police arrested seven suspects in October whom they said belonged to one espionage cell.