You may have missed the news over the weekend that Israeli intelligence authorities apprehended an Iranian spy of Belgian nationality as he was departing the country two weeks ago. Haaretz reports the story here and the Washington Post here. What was he scoping out on behalf of his paymasters in Tehran? He apparently hadn’t received word that it is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius in Tehran:
On his most recent visit, Mans took photographs of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv as well as the customs area of Ben-Gurion International Airport and other sites in Israel, “including sites that interest Iranian security officials,” the Shin Bet said. It said the pictures of the U.S. Embassy, which were taken from multiple angles, were found on him when he was arrested.
Mans told the Shin Bet that in early 2012 he was asked to spy on Israel and was promised about $1 million to do so. He later received various assignments, including to forge business ties and sign deals with Israeli businesspeople, in an effort to secure him continued access to Israel.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is also known as Quds Force and which sent Mans to Israel, is responsible for several terror attacks and attempted terror attacks against Israeli targets, including an a car bomb near the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi last year, failed attempts in Bangkok and Tbilisi, and planned attacks in Azerbaijan, Kenya and Nigeria, the Shin Bet said.
The XX Committee has an interesting post on the case under the heading “Understanding Iran’s new spy story.”
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