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Photo: CD Bank
Another spy scandal? (Illustration)
Photo: CD Bank

Nigeria: Israeli charged with espionage

Israeli, Irishman, Romanian charged with spying on Nigeria’s Defense Ministry, face 14 years in prison

Six people, including men from Ireland, Israel and Romania, were charged Tuesday with illegally obtaining classified defense documents.

 

Court papers allege the men worked with three Nigerian Defense Ministry officials to obtain information “related to a protected place.”

 

The information was to be passed on to the defense attache at the Russian Embassy in Nigeria, according to the court papers. Calls to the embassy Tuesday afternoon went unanswered.

 

The three foreigners and three Nigerians were brought to court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, under tight security.

 

Each pleaded innocent. Judge Binta Murtala-Nyarko set the next hearing for Nov. 21 before returning the suspects to prison.

 

The six face up to 14 years in jail if convicted. Prosecutors said the alleged offenses were committed with a Russian and another Irish man now at large.

 

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed to Ynet that the Israeli citizen was indeed arrested several days ago. According to officials, “The issue is being looked into by the Israeli embassy in Abuja, and is giving the appropriate consular service.” 

 

Israel was caught up in a similar affair about two years ago, when two Israelis suspected of counterfeiting passports were arrested in New Zealand.

 

The country claimed the two were Mossad agents, and an ensuing diplomatic crisis erupted between Israel and New Zealand.

 

The two suspected Israelis, Uri Kelman and Eli Cara, were arrested under suspicion of fraudulently obtaining a New Zealand passport by impersonating a local handicapped man in a wheel chair.

 

They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to a six months in prison and received a fine of USD 32 thousand to be paid to the local handicapped association.

 

Kelman and Cara left New Zealand after having served less than half of their six-month sentence.

 

Despite the suspects’ and the Israeli government’s denial, many in New Zealand, relying on government sources, were convinced that the two were Mossad agents.

 

New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Helen Clark, made several remarks to the press referring to the two as “Israeli intelligence agents”. Following the scandal, New Zealand announced a number of diplomatic sanctions against Israel.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.10.06, 20:19
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