As part of a combined counterintelligence operation by the General Security Service and the Lahav 433 unit in the police, an infrastructure of Iranian intelligence elements was exposed, working to recruit and activate citizens in Israel.
During the operation, a couple from Ramat Gan were arrested on suspicion of operating a terror cell in the Iranian intelligence service - for financial gain.
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The investigation revealed that the couple - Vladislav Viktorson, 30, and Anna Bernstein, 18 - who live in the City Tower Hotel in Ramat Gan, carried out a series of hostile acts under the direction of their operators, from spraying graffiti to setting vehicles on fire - and were in the planning stages of assassinating a senior figure.
According to a report on Channel 12, intelligence information obtained by Shin Bet investigators and Vlahov 433 indicated that Iranian intelligence officials managed to recruit the couple from Ramat Gan starting last August, to work in their service for money, when Vladislav was in contact, on social media, with a person named "Mari Hossi." The contact took place in Hebrew.
According to the investigators, the couple was fully aware that they were being operated by Iranian elements and that they constituted a terrorist cell in every sense of the word.
In order to carry out his tasks, Vladislav was even asked to locate street dwellers in order to recruit them to carry out additional tasks and to photograph demonstrators during protests.
The couple was recruited via Telegram. Initially, they were given a task that was described as "easy" - to spray graffiti with the inscription "Bibi is a traitor" in Petah Tikva, with the aim of causing unrest in Israeli society. The couple were required to film the execution of the task and send the documentation to Iranian agents via Telegram.
For each successfully completed task, they were paid using cryptocurrencies.
The next mission, which was described as "medium," was to set fire to several cars in Tel Aviv. On September 17, the couple went to the Hayarkon Park area equipped with gasoline. They set fire to several vehicles, documented the act, and sent the footage to Iranian agents. For this mission, they received ten thousand shekels - in cryptocurrency.
Later, Vladislav was asked to sabotage communications infrastructure and ATMs and set fires to forests. Some of the tasks were documented and he received a payment of over $5,000 for their execution.
The next step, defined by the Iranian agents as a "difficult mission," was to assassinate a senior figure and throw a grenade at a house. The Iranian agents tested the couple's willingness to carry out the mission, and the couple responded positively. The man even wrote, "I am willing to kill him," but the identity of the target was not revealed to the couple. Before that, they were required to obtain a weapon - a pistol with a silencer.
According to the investigation's findings, Vladislav worked to obtain weapons, including a sniper rifle, pistols, and grenades, and the couple began searching for arms dealers on social media.
At this point it was decided to arrest them.
A senior source involved in the investigation of the affair told Hadashot 12: "I never dreamed in my life that we would come to this. Iran is really here, with us. The couple knew that they were working with Iranian agents. All they were interested in was the greed for money. The Iranian agents operated them in a well-organized and well-prepared plan, going step by step with them, from easy to difficult. In the first stage, graffiti, then setting fires to vehicles, electrical cabinets and forests - and the final stage, carrying out an assassination. The Iranians are really obsessed with carrying out an operation to assassinate a senior figure by Israelis.".
The Shin Bet notes: "A request from Iranian intelligence agencies, via social media, is known as a platform for the deceptive recruitment of Israelis to carry out various tasks. Although these tasks may initially appear innocent, they can lead to real harm to the state's security. The request was made in various languages, including English and Hebrew, via social platforms - Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter - and the citizens responded to it in order to make a financial profit. It should be noted that a significant portion of the Israeli citizens who received suspicious requests did not respond to them and even reported them to the relevant authorities.".
A senior Shin Bet official added: "As part of Shin Bet and police activity, in recent months, several infrastructures of Iranian intelligence elements have been exposed that worked to recruit Israeli citizens, in order to carry out various missions that culminate in harming individuals in Israel. Many fictitious Iranian profiles were located and monitored online, and information was collected about the elements behind their operation. The exposure of the activity led to the arrest and interrogation of Israeli citizens who were tempted to carry out missions. This investigation exposes, once again, the efforts of Iranian intelligence elements to recruit and exploit Israeli citizens for the benefit of promoting espionage and terrorist activity in Israel.".
According to Shin Bet investigators and Lehav 433, the couple confessed during their interrogation to the charges against them. The man has a criminal record for "street" offenses such as drugs and break-ins, and he has even served time in prison in the past for serious offenses.
Today, the two were brought to the Lod District Court, where they will be charged with serious charges of contact with a foreign agent and other offenses. The prosecution will request that their detention be extended until the end of the legal proceedings against them.
