Residents of Nesher were stunned Tuesday by the police and Shin Bet announcement that two local men, Roy Mizrahi and Almog Atias, both 24, had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a serious espionage case on behalf of Iran. The alleged motive: millions of shekels in gambling debts.
As part of the plot, the two reportedly planned to install surveillance cameras outside the home of Defense Minister Israel Katz in the village of Kfar Ahim in southern Israel.
Mizrahi and Atias, who have no prior criminal records, attended the same high school. They were arrested in late April, on the eve of Independence Day, on suspicion of harming national security. According to investigators, they had intended to place cameras facing the access road to Katz’s home but fled the scene upon spotting a Shin Bet security patrol. Defense officials believe the surveillance was part of a larger plan to assassinate the defense minister.
In conversations with associates, Atias described the aborted attempt near Katz’s residence, claiming they left without planting the equipment after he noticed the security vehicles. “On the evening of Mimouna, Roy asked me to come with him because he doesn’t have a driver’s license and I do,” Atias reportedly said. “He introduced himself as part of a group called ‘The New World Order’ and said there was a car worth 12 million shekels ($3.4 million), with a chassis supposedly made of gold, that needed to be fitted with cameras in Kfar Ahim.”
Atias said that once they arrived, he saw the security vehicles. “I asked Roy, ‘What is this?’ Then we got into a verbal and physical altercation. If I hadn’t pointed out the security cars, the mission probably would have been completed,” he said. He added, “I left home with just a 20-shekel bill. Roy paid for the hotel in Tel Aviv, and the camera was purchased at a well-known computer equipment store.”
“When you hear something like this, it’s deeply upsetting,” said an official from the education system in Nesher. “This city has high enlistment rates, even during the war, and such reports about local residents allegedly helping Iran during wartime tarnish the reputation of the city and its people.”
Atias works as a courier for food delivery company Wolt, while Mizrahi is a second-year computer science student at the National School of Practical Engineers on the Technion campus in Haifa. Though not officially part of the Technion, the school is located on and operates near its campus. “Mizrahi completed his first year with honors,” said a family acquaintance.
Mizrahi reportedly fell into heavy gambling debt, and police were stunned to discover that his connection with Iranian operatives began in a swingers' group. He was initially contacted with a supposed work-from-home job offer, and later, those who reached out identified themselves as Iranian. They assigned him a series of intelligence tasks: first, photographing the area around his home; then, documenting a car dealership's sales board; and finally, burning a note with a message against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At that point, Mizrahi brought in Atias, a childhood friend who was also struggling with financial debt. The two were instructed to purchase another surveillance camera, rent a hotel room in Tel Aviv and travel to Kfar Ahim. There, they allegedly intended to install cameras facing the access road to the defense minister’s home. According to the Shin Bet and police, both men were fully aware they were acting under Iranian direction and that their actions could endanger national security, motivated by financial gain.
Neighbors and acquaintances described Mizrahi’s family as respectable. “This is a good family, not criminals. His father works for the Electric Corporation. His cousin was wounded in Gaza last year during the Iron Swords War. That cousin’s brother is a distinguished officer in one of the combat brigades in Gaza,” one said.
Residents recounted that numerous police and Shin Bet agents filled the building during Mizrahi’s arrest. “It’s heartbreaking for the family. They are simply incredible people who don’t deserve this. The kindest people you can imagine,” said neighbors. “This is a family that helps anyone in need in the neighborhood. If he really did what he's accused of, he’s brought shame on his family.”
Bought a new phone, buried a bag with an explosive device
Nesher Mayor Roey Levi told Ynet: “We were very surprised to hear that two young residents of our city were caught under such serious allegations. Nesher promotes values of patriotism and meaningful service in the IDF. Just last year, Makif Nesher High School (which the two suspects attended) reported a 94 percent enlistment rate, and during the war, more than 1,000 reservists from Nesher were called up. We support law enforcement authorities in their work. Cases like these do not represent the community of Nesher.”
In addition to the attempted surveillance outside Katz’s home, Mizrahi allegedly carried out other tasks. At the direction of his Iranian handlers, he bought a new mobile phone and installed a dedicated app to communicate with them. Later, he was instructed to transfer a bag buried in the ground from one location to another — a bag he understood contained an explosive device. Following their instructions, he rented a car, drove to Kiryat Malakhi in southern Israel, buried the bag, returned home the same day and was arrested shortly thereafter.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Defense Minister Katz praised the Shin Bet and police for “thwarting the Iranian attempt to harm me as Israel’s defense minister.” He said, “Iran is the head of the terror octopus, which promotes terror activities both directly and through the proxy organizations it supports, targeting leaders and all Israeli citizens.
“My heart and concern are first and foremost with the hostages held defenseless in Hamas tunnels, and with Israeli citizens exposed to Iranian threats at home and abroad. I will not be deterred by any threat and will continue to fulfill my duty to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to sever the head of the Iranian octopus and its terror tentacles.”
Attorney Yuval ZemerYuval Zemer, Atias’s attorney, said, “This is a young man who was misled by the other suspect, whom he mistakenly considered a friend, and who had no idea about the nature of the operation he was involved in — let alone who was behind it. As soon as he became suspicious, not only did he confront that ‘friend’ in a dispute that turned physical, but he also ensured that the mission was not completed and they left the scene. It is unfortunate that law enforcement is also being misled by the other suspect’s account. I am confident that during the trial, Almog’s innocence will be proven.”
Since the outbreak of the war, the Shin Bet has thwarted 20 major espionage plots involving Israelis working for Iranian intelligence. More than 30 indictments have been filed. A security official noted that this case is the latest in a series of attempts by hostile intelligence and terror organizations to recruit Israeli citizens to carry out missions intended to harm the country and its people.