A Tel Aviv resident has been arrested on suspicion of working with Iranian agents in exchange for cryptocurrency, according to a report by a local media outlet on June 24.
Authorities said the man carried out various small tasks, such as photographing sensitive sites and spraying political messages in public locations.
Security officials stated that he was recruited through social media and communicated with handlers using digital devices, which were later seized during a police operation. These items are being analyzed for evidence of contact with Iranian operatives.
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The man, identified as Or Beilin, was brought before a Tel Aviv court following his arrest. His detention was extended until June 26 to allow investigators more time to examine the case.
Officials have warned the public not to respond to unknown messages online, especially those coming from foreign sources.
This arrest has led to two other detentions. One of them is Dmitri Cohen from Haifa, who is accused of gathering personal information on Amit Yardeni, the fiancée of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son. Cohen received thousands of dollars in crypto and was offered $500 per assignment.
Another person, a resident from the Sharon region, was also taken into custody. Authorities have not named the individual or released full details about their involvement.
However, all three suspects appear to have followed a similar pattern, which includes contact via social media, minor intelligence-gathering tasks, and cryptocurrency payments.
On June 18, the hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, which claims ties to Israel, announced that it had breached Nobitex, a crypto exchange based in Iran. How did it happen? Read the full story.
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