Former Israeli Minister Gonen Segev has been arrested by the Shin Bet, and charged with spying for Iran.

The Shin Bet says he was indicted last week for spying against the State of israel. Segev even went to Iran to meet with his handlers.

Segev was charged with aiding an enemy in war time and espionage, as well as providing information to the enemy.

The Shin Bet found that Segev first made contact with Iranian embassy officials in Nigeria in 2012, and at a later stage traveled to Iran twice for meetings with his handlers, while being fully aware they belonged to Iranian intelligence.

Over the years as an Iranian agent, Segev met with his handlers in apartments and hotels around the world, which he believes are used for covert Iranian activity.

He also received an encrypted communications system to conceal the exchange of messages between him and his handlers.

Segev has previously been jailed for drug smuggling.

He was elected to the Knesset in 1992, at the age of just 35, as part of Rafi Eitan’s now defunct Tzomet party.

He famously split from that party in 1994 and joined the short-lived Yiud faction along with two other Tzomet MKs. His vote was critical in passing the Oslo Accords in the Israeli parliament.

In 1995-1996, Segev headed the National Infrastructure Ministry (now known as the Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources), before quitting politics.

Segev then became a businessman, and was arrested in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets from the Netherlands into Israel. He also illegally extended his diplomatic license and committed several offenses involving use of credit cards.

The former minister was convicted in 2005 of drug smuggling, forgery and fraud. He received a five-year prison sentence as well as a $27,500 fine. He was released from prison in 2007 after a third of his sentence was cut due to satisfactory behavior in jail.

Source: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)