Ali Mansouri, Belgian-Iranian national, arrested for spying in Israel
An Israeli border policeman stands next to the international arrivals board at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. Hundreds of Israeli police, many undercover, are at the airport to block the arrival of activists taking part in a ‘Welcome to Palestine’ fly-in.
An alleged Iranian agent was arrested in Israel as he tried to leave the country, Israeli security sources have revealed.
Ali Mansouri, a dual Iranian-Belgian national, was detained by Shin Bet and has supposedly confessed to spying for Iran, according to a report on the Israeli security agency's website.
The arrest took place on Sept. 11, but has only now been made public.
Mansouri was working for a special operations unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to Shin Bet.
Mansouri, 55, who had changed his name to Alex Mans, lived in Iran until 1980 before moving to Turkey until 1997.
He traveled frequently between Turkey, Iran and Belgium. He allegedly made three trips to Israel in 2012 posing as a businessman selling windows but according to Israel, he had been offered $1 million by Iran to spy.
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Mansouri apparently had photos on him showing Ben Gurion airport and the American embassy in Tel Aviv.
Israel suspects that Mansouri was gathering information for possible terror attacks.
"At a time when Iran is trying to get closer to the US, it sent an agent to try to gather intelligence in order to carry out a terror attack against the American Embassy in Israel," said a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to the Times of Israel.
"This is just one further example of Iran's policy of doublespeak and further proof that Iran’s words do not match its actions."
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