Israeli Couple from Ashkelon Indicted for Spying for Iran Despite Knowing Their Handler

The Israeli State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment on Thursday at the Tel Aviv District Court against Tamirlan Amshukov, 26, and Alina Kushnirenko, 24, a couple from Ashkelon. They are accused of collecting intelligence on Israeli security personnel, civilian and military infrastructure, and transferring it to an Iranian handler via Telegram in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. The prosecution has requested that the couple remain in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

The investigation, conducted jointly by the IDF's Intelligence Directorate, the Lahav 433 unit, and the Shin Bet, revealed that the case began when a Telegram profile named "Aslan" contacted Amshukov through a group chat. Initially, Amshukov was asked to withdraw cash from credit cards and hand it over for a commission but did not complete this task. Later, "Aslan" offered him and another individual named "David" to carry out surveillance, documentation, and monitoring missions at various locations across Israel, targeting individuals whose identities would be provided in advance. Amshukov accepted and recruited his partner Kushnirenko to assist.

Between April and July 2026, the couple systematically gathered information on locations including residences of security personnel, defense industries, and civilian and military infrastructure. Notably, they photographed the Jabotinsky grave on Mount Herzl a week before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a memorial there. The information was allegedly sent to the Iranian handler in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.

During interrogation, the couple admitted to the acts but initially claimed ignorance of their Iranian affiliation. They later confessed that during a mission in Eilat, they realized they were working for an Iranian entity but continued their activities due to the payments. Evidence includes messages, photos, videos from their phones documenting the missions, digital wallet reports showing money transfers from the foreign handler, and security camera footage placing them at mission sites. Amshukov also deleted most of his communications with the foreign agent from his device.

The prosecution argues the couple poses a high danger due to the number and duration of missions, the sensitive nature of the targets, and the recruitment of Kushnirenko by Amshukov. There is also a flight risk as they are foreign nationals, and no alternative to detention can mitigate the alleged threat.