Moti Maman, 72, an Israeli businessman based in Turkey who was indicted Thursday of being recruited by Iranian intelligence, lived in Ashkelon after leaving from northern Israel’s Bustan Hagalil 10 years ago. A., a local resident, told Ynet the man “always seemed like a dubious character.”
Another resident of Bustan HaGalil shared, "He has a plot in the area, but hasn't lived there for years. He’s told a lot of people here that he’s a Mossad agent and a graduate of the IDF’s intelligence Unit 8200. We always laughed about it because those weren’t the kind of people we'd see him hanging out with."
A source familiar with the criminal world said, "Moti isn’t a well-known businessman." According to him, "he was involved in shady dealings with criminals in Nahariya. He did a lot of business with Arabs and I think that’s how the Iranians got to him because they realized they could exploit him since he’s quite naïve and isn’t deeply familiar with the criminal world.”
“Even if he agreed to carry out the operation, I think he would’ve taken the money from the Iranians and then disappeared. I know he’s done that with other businesses he went to in Africa — he didn’t pay back his debts to those he did business with there,” he added.
On the other hand, D. from Bustan HaGalil described him as a good person. "He lived in Romania for a while; a woman there conned him and took all his money. He was left with nothing. Overall, he’s really a good guy — he’s never done anything to harm others." After his divorce, Maman moved to Ashkelon.
Many of Maman's neighbors told Ynet they have known him for years and always knew he was involved in criminal activities but refuse to provide information because they fear for their personal safety.
Maman left Bustan HaGalil nearly a decade ago, and the residents were shocked by the reports about their former neighbor and the severity of the allegations against him.
One of Maman’s sons serves in an IDF combat unit. His ex-wife, son and daughter still live in the northern Israeli town and are considered good neighbors. It’s unclear whether they’ve maintained contact with him in recent years. "His family is strong and well-established, and we’ll stand by them and support them if necessary. We’re convinced they have no connection to this," residents of Bustan HaGalil said.
Maman owned a shawarma stand in Nahariya for a short while, which he allegedly bought from a criminal a decade ago. The police suspected at the time that he was running a front from the criminals and refused to grant a business license for the eatery.
A city resident said that Maman was "a people person." According to him, "he was one of those friendly guys, making friends with everyone. He always had friends hanging out at his place. I don’t believe he would’ve actually done it; in my opinion, he would’ve conned the Iranians."
Maman is accused of contacting a foreign agent after being recruited by Iran to promote, among other things, the assassination of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
"I don't know what would have happened if they had given me a million dollars and what I would have done. We're only human," the defendant said during his interrogation, referring to the financial advance he requested from the Iranian agents he met with — which wasn’t paid to him — leading to his refusal of the proposal. During his court hearing, Maman couldn't stop smiling.
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Ido Erez, Miriam Elster)
It was also revealed on Thursday that the prosecution filed an indictment against Maman at the Be'er Sheva District Court, accusing him of offenses against national security, including contacting a foreign agent and entering an enemy state without permission.
According to the indictment, Maman engaged in discussions on Iranian soil with local agents operating on behalf of the Islamic Republic's intelligence services. He entered Iran twice and discussed the possibility of carrying out terror operations within Israel during meetings with Iranian agents.
After the defendant explained to the Iranian agents that the high level of security around senior officials made it impossible to harm them, other options for carrying out terror and espionage operations by the defendant were discussed including harming former prime minister Naftali Bennett or Israeli mayors.
"What might have happened if the advance he demanded had been paid worries the prosecution, but it will settle for referring to the defendant’s own words," the request to remand Maman until the end of legal proceedings against him read.
This referred to his statement during the interrogation where he admitted he didn't know what he would have done if his handlers had given him the monetary sum he requested.
The prosecution also mentioned that during the discussions about terror operations against Israel, "the transfer of funds, the delivery of photographic information to Iranian sources documenting crowded places in Israel and even the establishment of assassination cells in Russia and the U.S. by the defendant were considered, aimed at murdering opponents of the Iranian regime."
Maman, who acted out of financial greed, requested a financial advance from Iran before carrying out any action for the regime, which is why his meetings didn’t result in any concrete terror operations.
According to the prosecution, Maman confessed to the charges during 14 Shin Bet interrogations and four additional police interrogations. "Throughout these interrogations, he revealed the extent of his crime to the investigators and consistently stood by his confession, enriching it with facts and details," the prosecution’s statement said.