Two brothers from the Jerusalem area have been indicted on serious security charges over alleged contact with an Iranian agent and transferring information in exchange for payment, authorities said after a court lifted a publication ban on the case.
According to the indictment, filed several weeks ago by the State Attorney’s Office in the Jerusalem District Court, the suspects — both in their 20s — maintained contact with an Iranian operative via the Telegram messaging app during 2025.
Prosecutors said one of the brothers initiated the contact and agreed to carry out various tasks in return for payments made in cryptocurrency. He later involved his brother, and the two allegedly continued the activity together over time.
As part of their communications, the suspects sent materials presented as security-related information and used technological tools, including artificial intelligence, to create misleading content, the indictment said. Some of the information provided was not necessarily authentic.
The indictment alleges the brothers impersonated others, including posing as soldiers in a military intelligence unit. In one case, one of the suspects told the Iranian agent, identified as “David,” that he had a contact in the unit and offered to connect them in exchange for payment.
He then allegedly created a fake exchange between two profiles he controlled to simulate communication with the supposed contact, sending screenshots to the agent. Prosecutors said the agent increased the offered payment from several thousand shekels to about 10,000 shekels as the exchange progressed.
In another instance, the agent asked about the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash and whether Israel was involved. The suspect allegedly responded affirmatively and later produced a fabricated document, using artificial intelligence, designed to appear like a military file and suggesting Israeli involvement.
The document, which included the insignia of a military intelligence unit, was photographed on a computer screen and sent to the agent, who then transferred payment in cryptocurrency, prosecutors said.
The brothers are charged with contact with a foreign agent, passing information to the enemy, providing information that could benefit the enemy and impersonation.
Prosecutors have requested that the suspects be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings and sought the seizure of assets allegedly obtained through the offenses. A court has ordered one of the suspects to remain in custody pending trial.