Another Iranian Spy Ring Rounded Up By Israeli Police

A day after the Israel Police and Shin Bet announced that they had arrested seven Jewish Israelis of Azeri origin on suspicion of taking money from Iranian agents in exchange for passing information about IDF bases and other sensitive sites, the police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested seven residents of east Jerusalem on suspicion of spying for Iran.

The seven suspects, all between the ages of 17 and 23, are from East Jerusalem's Beit Safafa neighborhood and have been in custody since September. None of them have any prior record of criminal activity or ties to terrorist organizations.

The ring leader and primary suspect is named as one Rami Alyan. He reportedly initiated contact with Iranian agents and then recruited six other individuals to help him carry out the "missions" that the Iranians gave him in exchange for money. These missions included acts of petty vandalism and robbery, meant to prove to the Iranians that he was worth investing in. He said that he wasn't motivated by money but rather by nationalism and a desire to be respected in the Arab society of Jerusalem.