Overview
- Israeli police and the Shin Bet disclosed Thursday, after a court lifted a gag order, that they arrested 22-year-old Ami Gaidarov in March on suspicion of working for Iranian intelligence during the war.
- Investigators say he produced about 8–10 kilograms of TATP in a rented Haifa apartment and recorded a test blast in a parking garage; TATP is a highly unstable explosive tied to past terror attacks and dangerous to handle.
- Authorities say he sent photos of Haifa port and missile impact sites and tried to find a fixed vantage point for surveillance, with the intended target reported as former prime minister Naftali Bennett.
- Gaidarov allegedly received roughly 70,000–80,000 shekels via cryptocurrency and PayPal and recruited friends who helped buy chemicals and stash the explosives, leading to arrests that include Sergei Libman and Eduard Shovtiuk.
- Prosecutors filed a statement Thursday and say indictments are expected in the coming days, a move officials frame as part of a broader push to counter Iran-directed activity by Israelis under investigation in recent years.