Jerusalem Man Charged with Espionage for Foreign Agent

Tarek Oweida, a 53-year-old resident of Jerusalem, has been indicted on charges of contact with a foreign agent. According to the indictment filed by the State Prosecutor's Office in the Jerusalem District Court, Oweida allegedly maintained contact for about a year with an individual acting on behalf of a foreign state or terrorist organization. During this period, Oweida is accused of gathering intelligence and documenting various sites in Jerusalem, including the locations of security forces and police.

The prosecution is requesting that Oweida be held in custody until the legal proceedings against him are concluded. The indictment states that approximately a year ago, Oweida joined a Telegram group called "The Resistance," where the foreign agent was active. The two communicated roughly every two weeks. The agent allegedly asked Oweida to photograph locations in Jerusalem for money, including Jewish residential neighborhoods and security force positions.

At the agent's request, Oweida downloaded a special application onto his phone for secure, encrypted communication. The agent later inquired if Oweida could attach a camera to his electric bicycle to film during his travels without attracting attention. Oweida mentioned he was in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On another occasion, he agreed to install a camera on his bicycle to photograph a mosque at the agent's request, but reportedly did not carry out the task. A few days before his arrest, the agent contacted him again, asking him to film in the Al-Aqsa Mosque area or other potentially useful locations, but Oweida did not respond or complete the mission.