Omri Goren, a cleaner in Benny Gantz’s home, reached out to
Iranian source via social media, offering to “assist him.”
A cleaner who worked in the home of Defense Minister Benny Gantz has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to spy for Iran.
In the course of his interrogation, it emerged that the cleaner, one Omri Goren, used social media networks to reach out to an official associated with the Iranian regime, offering to assist him in various ways and explaining that he was able to do so due to his access to Defense Minister Gantz.
Among the suggestions Goren made to his Iranian contact was that he could be provided with malware that he would introduce into Gantz’s personal computer.
“This plan was thwarted due to the swift arrest of Goren which prevented him from actualizing his plans,” the Shabak said in a statement.
“During Goren’s interrogation, it also emerged that in order to prove his ability to do what he suggested and his serious intent, he photographed various items in various locations in the home of the Minister, which he sent to the aforementioned agent, including photographs of the Minister’s computers.”
The Shabak also noted that due to various security procedures and measures taken in the Minister’s home, Goren was not exposed to classified materials, and accordingly there were no such materials transferred from him to the parties with whom he was in contact.
The investigation is being conducted with the full knowledge of Minister Gantz, and Goren has now been officially charged with espionage.
Although no damage occurred in this specific instance, the Shabak now intends to conduct an intensive investigation in order to reassess the various related issues, in order to prevent any future similar instances from occurring.
(Arutz 7).