The indictment filed Wednesday against Vladimir Varkhovsky, 35, from Tel Aviv, details a series of security-related offenses allegedly carried out at the behest of Iranian intelligence.
The indictment describes how Varkhovsky arrived at a building in the city's L neighborhood, at the request of a foreign agent with whom he was in contact, and knocked on the door of an apartment on the fifth floor.
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Tel Aviv building to which Israeli recruit sent to locate person by foreign agent
(Photo: Ran Rimon)
Shlomi, the son of Emanuel, who lives in the apartment, told Ynet he was shocked by the revelations. "My father is a retired Bank Hapoalim employee—he has no connection to security matters," he said.
The indictment, submitted to the Lod District Court, alleges that Varkhovsky was instructed to obtain a gun intended for the assassination of an Israeli scientist. The foreign agent, posing as an Israeli citizen living in Canada named "Eli," promised Varkhovsky $100,000 and offered to help smuggle him to Russia after the murder.
Varkhovsky allegedly traveled by taxi from Tel Aviv to Modiin, where he collected a bag containing a handgun, a matching magazine and 15 bullets. Upon returning to his home, he was arrested by security forces.
Days earlier, the foreign agent had asked Varkhovsky to locate a person living on Borla Street in Tel Aviv, providing a photograph for identification. According to the indictment, on September 19, Varkhovsky went to Borla Street, trying to find the individual. He entered the building and, at the agent's request, photographed the mailboxes and apartment doors. Later, he asked the agent which apartment to target, and the agent specified a particular number.
Varkhovsky spoke with neighbors on the first floor, showed them the photo and asked if they knew the person. They said they did not. He then proceeded to the fifth floor, knocked on the door, but received no answer. For this and other actions, Varkhovsky was paid via cryptocurrency.
Shlomi, whose father Emanuel resides in the apartment Varkhovsky visited, expressed disbelief. "I imagine they knew who they were looking for. My father is over 80, and this has nothing to do with him. It’s absurd that they photographed the building. I’m not worried; my father has no connection to any security matters."
Neighbors in the building were also shocked to learn their residence had been implicated in the indictment. "I hope there's nothing more to this. It’s unsettling to know that people were photographing our building. I don’t know what to do—it's scary. Anything could happen at this point, but this is very strange," one resident said.
"The elderly man who lives here has been around for years; he's very nice. It’s frightening to think people were taking photos here," another neighbor commented.
"A few days ago, people knocked on my door asking if I live alone. They looked like police officers," a different neighbor added.
"I feel very uncomfortable knowing strangers were taking pictures of my building," a fourth resident said.
The indictment charges Varkhovsky with contact with a foreign agent, possession and transportation of a weapon and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism. It states that Varkhovsky, who immigrated to Israel from Ukraine eight years ago, maintained contact with the foreign agent via the Telegram app and carried out several tasks for him between August and September 2024.
Among these tasks were spraying anti-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu graffiti around Tel Aviv, placing plastic containers with tracking devices near Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva and sending videos from protests in Tel Aviv in an attempt to contact another demonstrator. Varkhovsky was paid in cryptocurrency for all these activities.
The indictment further notes that during the "period of contact," Iranian intelligence operatives communicated with Varkhovsky through several Telegram profiles. The foreign agent, calling himself "Eli," asked Varkhovsky if he wanted to earn money. When Varkhovsky agreed, the agent sent him $10 via a cryptocurrency wallet.
Several days later, the agent instructed Varkhovsky to spray graffiti with the word "LEHI" in English and Hebrew. Varkhovsky complied, spraying the message at four locations: Barzilai Street, a Tel Aviv train station parking lot, the area between Nahmani and Tiomkin Streets and near Nahalat Binyamin. For each instance of graffiti, the foreign agent transferred $30 to Varkhovsky’s wallet.
After completing this task, the agent asked Varkhovsky if he wanted to earn more money. Varkhovsky agreed, and the agent requested that he use a different mobile phone. Varkhovsky complied, and some of their communications were carried out using a Xiaomi device in his possession. In exchange for switching devices, the agent transferred $200 to Varkhovsky.
At the end of September, the foreign agent instructed Varkhovsky to purchase two empty 10-liter plastic containers and hide them, along with a tracking device, in bushes behind a bus stop near Segula Cemetery. Varkhovsky followed the instructions, photographing the hiding place and sending the exact location to the agent. For this action, Varkhovsky was paid $100.
Taking part in anti-government protests
Later, the foreign agent asked Varkhovsky to spray more graffiti, this time with the message "Netanyahu=Hitler." Varkhovsky agreed and sprayed the message multiple times on walls and ATMs. Additionally, the agent requested that he film protests in Tel Aviv. Varkhovsky complied, sending a video he had recorded several days earlier, which showed a man throwing wooden planks into a bonfire.
In the request to extend Varkhovsky's detention until the end of legal proceedings, authorities noted, "The prosecution holds substantial evidence supporting the defendant’s guilt, including detailed confessions made during interrogations by the Shin Bet and Israel Police, in which the defendant admitted to the actions described in the indictment, though he claimed he never intended to carry out the assassination of the scientist.
"The prosecution also has Telegram correspondence between the defendant and the foreign agent that aligns with his confession, along with photos and videos documenting some of the tasks he was assigned." The defendant has a prior conviction, though details were not provided.
"The war between the Shin Bet and Iran is intensifying," the agency said in a statement. "The series of cases that have been exposed, and those yet to come, clearly illustrate Iran's relentless efforts to recruit, activate, and carry out attacks within Israel. The Shin Bet's ability to preemptively thwart these attempts prevents Iran from achieving its goal of assassinating Israeli targets. Recruitment efforts through social media are widespread, targeting diverse groups, and some individuals fall into their trap. Those who choose, in times of war, to work for Iranian intelligence in exchange for payment will face severe consequences."
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