The accident in Lake Maggiore, Italy
The Israeli national who died in a boat accident on Sunday on Italy's Lake Maggiore was identified as a retired defense official who was considered a genius in his field.
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Not much is known about the 54-year-old, whose identity and image are being kept confidential for security reasons. Even those close to him knew very little about his career.
"Every time we asked, he'd give you a wide smile and say nothing. The most discreet person I've known," a friend of the deceased told Ynet.
Three other people were also killed in the accident - two members of the Italian intelligence community, identified as Tiziana Barnobi, 52, and Claudio Alonzi, 62, by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera; and Anya Bozhkova, 50, the Russian partner of the boat's owner and captain Claudio Carminati, 53.
Due to the background of the victims, Italian media stressed that the capsize was an accident, rather than a deliberate attack or act of sabotage.
The Foreign Ministry said Monday it was working alongside the Consular Department at the Israeli Embassy in Rome to fly his body back to Israel.
The deceased traveled to Italy with several coworkers for a joint leisure trip to the lake with colleagues from the Italian intelligence community to celebrate a birthday.
Reports say the tourist boat overturned in the evening while sailing between the towns of Sesto Calende and Arona. The survivors testified that the weather changed swiftly.
"Suddenly, the sky turned black, heavy rain began to pour, and from the shore, almost nothing could be seen," a witness was quoted as saying by newspaper La Stampa.
Attilio Fontana, the governor of Lombardy, stated that the capsized boat was a 16-meter-long (52 foot) vessel rented by the tourists for a birthday bash. After the accident, all the passengers fell into the water, but most of them managed to swim to the shore about 150 yards away or were rescued by emergency services. Four individuals went missing, and their bodies were recovered by Italian frogmen.