The Jerusalem District Court filed an indictment on Wednesday against seven young men, aged 19 to 23, from the Beit Safafa neighborhood in East Jerusalem, for serious security offenses, including aiding the enemy during wartime and providing intelligence to an enemy.
The charges come after the group, allegedly directed by Iranian operatives, plotted to assassinate an Israeli nuclear scientist and his family.
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Property seized from homes of Iran-linked terrorist cell members
(Photos: Israel Police)
According to the indictment, the cell planned to murder the scientist, burn down his home, and had attempted to enter the Weizmann Institute of Science, a prestigious research university in Rehovot, where the scientist worked and lived. After being denied entry, two of the suspects photographed the entrance to the institute and later surveilled the scientist's home.
The seven suspects—Rami Alyan, Abd al-Rahman Alyan, Muhammad Khatib, Mamdouh Khader, Omri Abu Hamida, Mahmoud Khader and Muhammad Taha—face multiple charges, including aiding the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and arson.
A joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Jerusalem Police's Central Unit uncovered an Iranian intelligence network working to recruit and activate Israeli citizens for missions within Israel. The lead suspect, Rami Alyan, reportedly acted under the direction of an Iranian agent via the instant messaging app Telegram and recruited the other suspects to assist with various tasks. The group also attempted to procure firearms and explosives for the assassination.
The group allegedly received payments for their activities, ranging from 500 shekels ($130) for photographing locations such as the Weizmann Institute, 1,500 shekels ($390) for surveillance of specific targets and 2,000 shekels ($520) for setting a vehicle on fire.
They were also paid between 13,000 and 15,000 shekels ($3,380-$3,900) to procure weapons, including a handgun and potentially a Carlo submachine gun, though the transaction was not completed. The suspects were paid in cryptocurrency, which was later converted into approximately 26,000 shekels ($6,760) in cash.
The arrests, which occurred last month in a central Israeli city, were made after an urgent tip-off to Shin Bet’s elite Tequila rapid intervention unit and the Israel Police's Yamam counterterrorism team, following long-term intelligence monitoring. Authorities acted quickly after receiving intelligence that the cell was on the verge of carrying out an assassination.
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Arrest of three members of East Jerusalem-based Iranian terror cell on a central Israel city street
In addition to the plot targeting the scientist, the suspects also allegedly planned to assassinate a central Israeli mayor and carried out other activities, including setting vehicles on fire in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood, spraying anti-Israel graffiti, attempting to acquire weapons such as guns and grenades, and planning attacks on security forces.
After some cell members were arrested, Alyan fled, destroyed his operational phone and discarded the pieces in an open field to avoid detection. Police searches of the suspects' homes uncovered 50,000 shekels ($13,000), a forged police license plate and numerous credit cards.
This case is the fifth recent instance of Israeli citizens being exposed as operatives working for Iranian interests. Earlier this week, it was revealed that seven Israelis from northern Israel, originally from Azerbaijan, were arrested for spying on military bases on behalf of Iran, with plans to assassinate a senior Israeli official and his son.
Israel has noted an increase in Iran’s efforts to recruit Israelis to gather intelligence, though these plots have not yet resulted in a major operational success. Iranian activity has shifted focus from targeting high-ranking officials to scientists and academics, posing an ongoing challenge for Israeli counterintelligence.
A senior Border Police official emphasized the urgency of the operation, stating that the cell had reached an advanced stage of planning the assassination. Experts warn that while Israeli efforts have successfully thwarted these plots, Iran’s attempts should not be dismissed. "It's like a goalkeeper during penalty shots—you’re bound to block many, but eventually, one will get through," said one source.
The Shin Bet’s counter-espionage division has increased its operations over the past two years, with financial gain emerging as a common motivation for the Israeli recruits, most of whom were aware they were working for Iran.
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