Israel's security forces continue to fight the persistent attempts by Iranian intelligence to recruit Israeli citizens for espionage missions.
Today (Monday), it was cleared for publication that the Jerusalem Police arrested an independent journalist on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent. Unlike previous cases, in this instance, the suspect claims that he was the one who exposed the connection and reported it to the authorities.
According to the suspicion, anonymous individuals contacted the journalist on social media and asked him to photograph protests by ultra-Orthodox Jews and major streets in Jerusalem.
For the suspect, who earns a living from writing and photography, the requests initially seemed legitimate, but after a while, he became suspicious that the individuals were hostile agents.
The suspect's attorney, Nati Rom from the "Honenu" organization, stated that his client denies all allegations. "My client is the one who voluntarily contacted the Israeli Police's Cyber Division after suspecting that he was communicating with foreign agents. He acted as a loyal citizen, and to his shock, the police chose to arrest him and request 8 days of detention."
The District Court accepted the defense's appeal and ordered the journalist's immediate release to house arrest.