_a.jpg "צילום: אלי אלגרט")
Ex-spy Kalmanovich
Photo: Eli Elgarat
Ex-spy Kalmanovich murdered in Moscow
Former KGB agent, Israeli businessman reportedly shot while sitting in his Mercedes
Businessman and former spy Shabtai Kalmanovich was murdered by an assassin in Moscow, Russian news agency Interfax reported Monday.
According to the report, Kalmanovich was shot near his home in Russia's capital while sitting in his Mercedes. Shots rang out from a passing vehicle, seriously wounding the ex-spy's driver as well.
Kalmanovich was born in Lithuania in 1947 and moved to Israel with his Zionist family in 1971. According to foreign reports, Kalmanovich agreed to join the KGB as a sleeper agent in exchange for an immigration permit.
The former spy was active within the Labor party's ranks and worked in the Government's Press Office. He later secured a position as a parliamentary aide in the Knesset. Kalmanovich was also known for his ties with numerous politicians, including late Prime Minister Golda Meir.
According to the indictment against him, Kalmanovich was handing over information to the Russian intelligence service for 17 years. He spent five years in an Israeli prison before his release, due to medical problems. In recent years he sponsored an Israeli female basketball team and also returned to Russia to promote his business career.
