- Israel arrests three suspects accused of spying for Iran using crypto.
- Dmitri Cohen allegedly gathered intel on PM Netanyahu’s family for $500 each task.
- Tel Aviv suspect took photos of officials’ homes, sprayed graffiti on command.
Israeli authorities have arrested three individuals suspected of spying for Iran. These arrests have raised concerns about how cryptocurrency is being used in modern espionage. According to officials, the suspects get the money, which is in digital form, in exchange of performing the jobs on behalf of the Iranian agents.
Cohen Used Secret Phone, Received $500 Per Task from Iran
First of all, there is a 27-year-old man who has been arrested in the city of Tel Aviv. The Shin Bet security service and the police of Tel Aviv arrested him. According to investigation, he was in contact with Iranian operatives for several months. It is during this period that he is said to have accomplished different missions. Those involved capturing the houses of the political leaders and military camps. He also sprayed graffiti all over the city under some instructions.
Moreover, the law enforcers said that the man was given thousands of dollars in form of cryptocurrency. It was a digital payment that made it difficult to trace the transactions. It is believed that by this means the suspect was trying to keep his relationship with foreign agents a secret.
Another suspect was previously arrested by the police. He is 28-year-old Dmitri Cohen who lives in Haifa. Officers in the investigations and intelligence unit of the Coastal District arrested him last month with the help of the Shin Bet. As it was reported, Cohen collected information about Amit Yardeni, who would become the daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yardeni was engaged to be married to Avner Netanyahu, but the marriage was cancelled when the Iranian tension rose.
Among the acts that Cohen did, he took pictures of the family home of Yardeni and the surrounding locations. He conveyed this to his Iranian contact. He would receive 500 dollars per assignment and had already collected some money in the form of cryptocurrency. Moreover, Cohen adopted a different phone that he used in his secret message.
Police Seize Devices Used for Secret Communications with Iran
Later on Monday, police detained a third suspect in the Sharon region. This man is 19 years old. His identity is not announced yet; however, he is supposed to be one of the students that are received instructions by Iranian agents. The three suspects were separately arrested and they were not known to have any relationship with each other.
During the investigation, the electronic gadgets as well as computers were also confiscated by the police. Those gadgets are thought to be used in the process of sending and receiving messages with Iranian operatives. According to the police, such raids are significant to collect more evidence.
Prosecutors are getting ready to indict them as the probe goes on. In the next few days, the District Attorney’s office of Haifa is likely to bring a criminal case against Cohen. The Shin Bet and police are meanwhile on alert for further efforts at spying.
To sum up, these arrests indicate that cryptocurrency can help foreign agents to escape law enforcement. It is also important to note that the presented digital tools can be utilized on dangerous terms. Israeli leaders are, however, making firm strides to curtail these threats. They have been able to thwart the release of sensitive information to the enemy through quickness and collaboration. In the future, additional security measures can be implemented in order to prevent future incidents of the likes of spying.
The post Israel Arrests Suspected Spies Paid in Crypto appeared first on Live Bitcoin News.
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