Crime

By Pesach Benson • June 10, 2025

Jerusalem, 10 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Israeli security forces have arrested a 13-year-old Tel Aviv resident on suspicion of conducting espionage activities for Iran in exchange for cryptocurrency payments, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israeli Police said on Tuesday.

The boy was contacted through the Telegram messaging application by Iranian agents who initially requested him to spray-paint graffiti at various locations throughout the Tel Aviv area, including bus stops. According to the Shin Bet, the teenager complied with these initial requests and received financial compensation in return.

The Iranian handlers subsequently escalated their demands, asking the minor to photograph Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, which he ultimately refused to do. The agents also instructed him to take pictures of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s residence, but instead of conducting surveillance himself, the boy obtained an image of the house from social media platforms and forwarded it to his operators.

Additional tasks included requests to set fire to electrical boxes, which he also declined to perform.

“This is a young child who had no intention of harming the country, and he did not understand at all that the person he was in contact with was a foreign agent,” Attorney Hagit Rachmani Weiss, who is representing the minor through the public defender’s office. “When he became concerned, he immediately disconnected the connection and even blocked the contact.”

The teenager was released to five days of house arrest following his interrogation. Investigators said the boy’s family appeared to be completely unaware of their son’s activities until security forces arrived at their home with an arrest warrant.

This incident represents part of a broader Iranian strategy to exploit Israeli youth for intelligence gathering. Recently, authorities revealed another case involving a 16-year-old high school student from central Israel who was suspected of spying for Iran. That teenager claimed to have initially reported the contact to police but continued performing assigned tasks while receiving payments. His activities included using operational phones, installing dedicated communication applications, hiding money, photographing websites, and printing posters, though he refused when handlers demanded he set fire to trees.

Past Iranian espionage cases have involved suspects hanging pro-Iran posters and spray-painting slogans against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Police officials urged parents to maintain vigilant oversight of their children’s internet activities to prevent contact with foreign agents.