Almost a year after E. S.—a chassid affiliated with the Vizhnitzer community in Beit Shemesh—was taken into custody for allegedly collaborating with Iranian intelligence, further details have emerged about how he was drawn into the scheme.
According to a report from Walla, E. S. was in serious financial trouble, with debts totaling roughly 70,000 shekels, when he was targeted through the Telegram app. Hoping to explore cryptocurrency opportunities, he had recently acquired a smartphone, an action that ultimately made him vulnerable to recruitment. He soon entered contact with a woman who identified herself as “Anna Elena,” claiming to be a Canadian activist.
“Anna” presented herself as part of a campaign aimed at preventing traffic-related deaths. She offered to pay E. S. $20 for each ad he helped put up around the country. The first task she assigned him was to print and distribute 150 posters bearing the image of a blood-soaked hand and the message: “History will write that children were murdered. Let’s stand on the right side of history.” E. S. paid someone from Beitar Illit 1,800 shekels to hang the signs throughout Tel Aviv.
The assignments quickly became more serious. “Anna” asked E. S. to discard his phone and pick up a replacement device that had been hidden in Haifa. Soon after, she began urging him to take part in destructive acts, such as vandalizing property, torching cars, and even starting a forest fire—for which he was promised $7,000. When he declined to carry out the arson, she upped the ante and asked, hypothetically, what he would do for $75,000 if asked to shoot someone.
Though E. S. admitted that he suspected early on that “Anna” might be connected to a hostile foreign entity, he said he continued the relationship because he was desperate for the money. Under interrogation, he confessed that he understood he was providing assistance to an enemy, but added that he felt “neutral and less committed” to the country.
{Maztav.com Israel}
