Overview
- Prosecutors filed an indictment Thursday in the Tel Aviv District Court charging Tamirlan Amshukov and Elina Kushnirenko with contact with a foreign agent and providing information to the enemy, and they remain in custody as the case proceeds.
- Authorities say the pair were recruited over Telegram by an Iranian handler known as “Aslan,” who directed surveillance and photography tasks across Israel.
- The indictment alleges the defendants received $4,451.70 in cryptocurrency, were given money to buy a high-quality operational cellphone, and admitted they continued work for payment after realizing the handler represented Iran.
- Prosecutors detail missions that targeted mixed civilian and security-related sites, including Ramat Aviv Mall, Mount Herzl days before a state memorial, the Eilat promenade and port, a site in Dimona, and the homes of security and defense industry personnel.
- The case was developed by the Shin Bet and Lahav 433 and is being prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, a routine counterintelligence response that may prompt closer scrutiny of encrypted messaging and crypto as vectors for foreign-directed targeting.