Israeli Spy Accused of Aiding Iran Alleges Abuse in Prison, Legal Review Underway

Asher Benjamin Weiss, a 25-year-old from Bnei Brak accused of spying for Iran, claims he and other inmates face mistreatment by Israel's Prison Service, according to Galei Tzahal. Weiss alleges that guards throw stun grenades at them even without disturbances, physically assault them, sometimes handcuff them, force them to kneel, and threaten them with rifles aimed at their heads. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Weiss's petition on these conditions will be heard by the District Court.

Weiss was arrested over a year ago and charged with passing information to an Iranian agent. In February, a request for reconsideration of his detention was submitted to the Tel Aviv District Court, citing serious investigative failures by the Shin Bet security service. His defense attorneys, Elad Rat and Noam Barkovitz from the Public Defender's Office, argued that a fundamental error in the computer search timeline undermined the evidentiary basis for his arrest.

The original indictment centered on Weiss's visit to the Weizmann Institute, where he filmed the home of a nuclear scientist and sent the footage to a foreign entity. The indictment claimed Weiss knew the scientist was a nuclear physics professor, based on computer data showing a Google search for the scientist's name before the filming, implying criminal intent. Weiss maintained from the start that he did not know the homeowner's identity during filming and only searched afterward, a claim initially rejected by Shin Bet investigators.

A defense expert later found that the computer data had not been adjusted to Israel's time zone, revealing a three-hour discrepancy. After correcting the time, it was clear the Google search occurred at 5:50 p.m., after the filming was completed. Consequently, the indictment was amended, changing the facts and reducing the core charge from "passing information to the enemy with intent to harm national security," which carries a life sentence, to the lesser offense of "passing information that could have benefited the enemy."