An Israeli businessman based in Turkey was indicted Thursday on serious security charges, accused of being recruited by Iranian intelligence.
Prosecutors say he was smuggled into Iran twice and demanded a $1 million payment in advance for various missions, including plotting to assassinate top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed that the suspect, later identified as Moti Maman, a 72-year-old resident of Ashkelon, was arrested in August in a joint anti-terror operation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 serious crimes unit on suspicion of committing security offenses on behalf of the Iranian regime.
The investigation revealed that while living in Turkey, the suspect maintained business and social ties with Turkish and Iranian contacts. In April, through the mediation of two Turkish nationals, identified as Andrey Farouk Aslan and Junayd Aslan, he agreed to meet a wealthy businessman in Iran named Eddy to discuss potential business ventures.
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Defense MInister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters; Haim Goldberg/Flash 90)
The suspect traveled to the Turkish city of Samandağ, near the Syrian border, where he met with two representatives sent by Eddy, who was unable to leave Iran. They held a phone conversation with Eddy during the meeting.
According to the investigation, the suspect returned to Turkey in May and met again with Andrey, Junayd and Eddy’s representatives. When it became clear that Eddy still couldn’t leave Iran, the Israeli businessman was smuggled by car across a land border near the city of Van in eastern Turkey into Iran, where he met with Eddy and another individual named Khwaja, who was introduced as an operative for the Iranian security apparatus.
Assassinating top officials and threatening collaborators in Israel
The suspect met with the group at Eddy's home in Iran, where he was introduced as an Israeli citizen. During the meeting, he was asked to carry out various missions in Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime. These included transferring money or a weapon to a designated location, photographing crowded areas and sending the images to Iranian agents and threatening Israeli citizens working for the regime who had failed to complete their assigned tasks. The suspect asked for time to consider the proposal before agreeing.
Last month, the suspect reportedly re-entered Iran, again being smuggled through a border crossing while concealed in a truck. During his stay at Eddy’s house, he met with additional Iranian intelligence officials who asked him to carry out terror attacks in Israel, including potential assassination attempts against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
They also asked him to explore the possibility of assassinating former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, purportedly in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil in July—a killing attributed to Israel.
The suspect demanded a $1 million advance payment before committing to any action. The following day, he held another meeting with Iranian intelligence officials, during which they reiterated their assassination proposal and discussed other potential activities. These included depositing funds at locations in Israel, identifying Russian and U.S. officials for potential operations against Iranian regime opponents in Europe and the United States and attempting to recruit a Mossad agent as a double agent.
The suspect again requested the advance payment, but the Iranian agents refused, saying they would contact him later. Before leaving Iran, he received €5,000 from Eddy and an Iranian intelligence representative for his participation in the meetings.
A senior Shin Bet official described the case as a “grave incident” that highlights Iran’s persistent efforts to recruit Israeli citizens to carry out terrorist activities in Israel. “Our assessment is that Iranian intelligence will continue its attempts to recruit operatives in Israel for intelligence gathering and terrorism, even reaching out to criminal elements to achieve their goals,” the official said.
“While Israel is at war on multiple fronts, an Israeli citizen traveled to an enemy country twice, met with Iranian intelligence agents and expressed willingness to commit serious acts of terrorism on Israeli soil,” the official added. “His actions have aided Iran and its intelligence agencies in their campaign against Israel.”
'We are only human'
Prosecutors expressed concern over what might have happened if the defendant had received the requested advance payment. During the investigation, the Israeli businessman reportedly said, “I don’t know what I would have done if they had given me $1 million; we are only human.”
In its request to remand the defendant until the end of the proceedings, the prosecution noted that during his meetings with Iranian agents, after he informed them that assassinating high-level officials was impractical due to their security measures, additional terrorist and espionage operations were discussed, including the possibility of assassinating Bennett or certain mayors.
The Shin Bet has voice WhatsApp messages that were exchanged between the accused and his partner before he entered Iran in May of this year. According to the prosecution, this message corresponds with the data of the accused's version of the nature of the relationship that progressed between him and the Iranian businessman before his entry into the Islamic Republic.
The Shin Bet also has voice WhatsApp messages exchanged between the accused and one of his Turkish acquaintances on July 3, in which the Israeli talks about his entry "there" and describes a route through a mountainous area that corresponds to the route of the area at the border crossing where he crossed into Iran. The Shin Bet also has voice messages that were sent to the defendant by one of his Turkish acquaintances, in which the Iranian businessman is heard saying that he cannot leave his country. It also emerged that, before entering Iran, the accused left his mobile phone on in Turkey.
With reference to Bennett, the indictment states that the Iranian agents emphasized to the Israeli that the former prime minister was not secure. They even asked him: "Do you know Ra'anana?", where Bennett lives. In this case as well, the accused stood by his demand to receive an advance of $1 million. As a result, the Iranian agents offered the accused an upgraded financial offer, higher than the previous offer, according to which they would pay him between $300,000 and $400,000 dollars as a down payment for the assassination of Bennett. The accused refused the offer.
In addition, the Iranian agents discussed with the defendant the possibility of assassinating the mayors of Nahariya or Acre using an explosive device, after the Israeli falsely claimed to the Iranian businessman that he lived in Nahariya. The agents also suggested that the defendant warn Israeli Arabs who received funds from the Iranian regime to carry out hostile missions on Israeli soil but did not carry them out.
The Israeli businessman has a criminal record that includes five previous convictions for demanding property through threats, threats, tax offenses, and other offenses. The investigation was carried out in cooperation with the Shin Bet and the Unit of International Crime Investigations.
'He immediately admitted everything'
According to the indictment, the defendant confessed to the Shin Bet to the charges against him. “His testimony is coherent, detailed and accurately reflects the nature, background, circumstances and execution of the alleged offenses, with precise chronological and geographical data,” the prosecution said. The confession was given over the course of 14 Shin Bet interrogations and four additional police interrogations, the indictment noted.
“Throughout these investigations, he revealed more details about his actions and consistently stood by his confession, enriching it with further facts and information,” the indictment said.
"We have just received the indictment and the request for detention until the end of the proceedings, We have not yet reviewed the investigation material, so it is difficult to address the specifics of the case at this stage," the defendant’s attorney, Eyal Bessraglick, said.
"It is important to note that this is a person who has significantly assisted Israel’s security services and whose children serve in the security forces. He made a lapse in judgment in the context of his business dealings. It is notable that the indictment does not include other charges. My client has cooperated fully with the authorities and continues to do so.”