Crossed the lines • Neturei Karta accused of attempting to spy for Iran

Blackout removed: An indictment was filed today (Thursday) at the Jerusalem District Court against a haredi man, aged 47, a member of Neturei Karta, who is accused of spying, contact with a foreign agent and treason.

According to the indictment, the defendant was in contact with Iranian representatives in order to pass them information.

According to the indictment, in January 2011 the avrech flew from Israel to Berlin. Two days after his arrival, the accused showed up at the Iranian embassy, approached the clerk at the entrance and told him he was an Israeli wants to talk to them. To the official's request, the defendant gave him his passport, while wearing a white shirt, black pants, a tzitzis and kippah.

The clerk instructed the defendant to enter the embassy, where the accused met three people whose identity is unknown, one of whom roduced himself as "Haji Baba". The defendant told the Iranians that he is a citizen and resident of Israel, belonging to the fold of "Neturei Karta", and explained to them the principles of his faith that rejects the existence of Israel and the desire to replace the existing regime with a rule of the "Gentiles." The defendant offered the Iranians to collect them intelligence data.

During the conversation, the defendant asked the Iranians how come they fail to guard their people in Iran against assassinations by Israel. In response, one of the Iranians asked the defendant if he is not ashamed to make fun of them while he is interested in seeking asylum. The defendant replied that he is not interested in seeking asylum, and that he is even ready to kill a Zionist.

After the meeting, the Iranians told the defendant that they will conduct the investigation with other factors at the highest levels. "Haji Baba" gave the defendant a note on which he registered an email address and password and instructed him to get access to email, where a message will await him on behalf of the Iranians. Additionally, he instructed the defendant to be in touch with them with the phone number of the embassy.

In 20.1.11 the defendant returned to Israel. After returning to Israel, the defendant checked the email box a number of times in Internet cafes in Jerusalem. Likewise, he called the embassy twice from pay phones. In one case, there was no answer at the embassy. In the second case, the defendant asked to speak with "Haji Baba", but he was told that he is not found.

Night arrest

On 07/17/2013 at five in the morning or so, police came to the suspect's home, knocked on the door and arrested him, the day after his arrest a gag order was issued on the arrest.

According to his associates, about 15 police officers broke into the home, arrested the father, and conducted a thorough search while overturning everything that moves and confiscating some of it. They said his family were warned not tell anyone about the arrest, and the defendant was taken with a sack on his head.

He immigrated to Israel in 1972 from Morocco and his parents live in the center of the country, he and his wife are ba'alei tshuva.

His sons learn at a Talmud Torah in Yiddish, his daughters learn at Bnos Rachel, the man has three sons and three daughters, the oldest aged 19, is married and another daughter was engaged.

A week or two before the arrest, he told an acquaintance he is going to make a lot of money. A resident of the neighborhood told Behadrey Haredim that the defendant worked as a messenger on a scooter and wore a Litvishe hat.

The couple came into the neighborhood 15 years ago, and he has been arrested several times for domestic violence.

In his neighborhood and in Mea Shearim notices have recently been distributed condemning the arrest:

"Ask for mercy for the avrech ... who more than a week was kidnapped by the Zionist bandits ym"s in the middle of the night, and until this writing is still languishing in the Nazi dungeons."

His detention was extended until Monday 08/05/2013. The gag order was reduced to his name and identification information only.

The defendant's attorney, Yair Nehorai, said to Behadrey Haredim that "at this stage it would not be right to comment specifically, since I have not read the evidence. However, one should pay attention to two things. No damage was done, and the events took place two and a half years ago. "

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!