Four Jerusalem Residents Convicted for Iran-Directed Espionage and Terror Plots

Four residents of Beit Safafa, a neighborhood in Jerusalem, were convicted on Wednesday of security offenses for carrying out missions on behalf of an Iranian agent. Mamdouh Khader, Omri Abu Hamida, Mahmoud Khader, and Mohammed Taha all pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement with the prosecution.

According to the amended indictment, the Iranian agent contacted another defendant, offering payment for tasks aimed at harming Israel's security. These tasks included establishing a terror cell, acquiring weapons, and gathering intelligence for the potential assassination of a nuclear scientist and their family. Mamdouh Khader and Omri Abu Hamida were found guilty of failing to prevent a terror act. They participated in a reconnaissance trip to the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, knowing the mission originated from an Iranian agent. After being denied entry, they filmed the institute's entrance and sent the footage to their handler, who stated the target was someone "the Iranians want to eliminate." Despite this knowledge, they took no action to thwart the plan.

Mahmoud Khader and Mohammed Taha were convicted of aiding in maintaining contact with a foreign agent. Mahmoud Khader was involved in graffiti operations and helped procure two grenades and a fake police license plate intended to simulate an attack on law enforcement. Mohammed Taha organized and filmed the throwing of a stun grenade at an empty house in Qatanna village to create footage suggesting an attack on a Jewish resident's home. He also hid the phone used for communication with the Iranian operator. Arguments regarding sentencing will be presented at a later date.