Termilan Amashukov and Alina Kushnirko were indicted on charges of espionage, accused of carrying out tasks for an Iranian handler. According to the indictment, they photographed homes of defense industry workers and the grave of Ze'ev Jabotinsky at Mount Herzl about a week before Prime Minister Netanyahu's memorial ceremony at the site.
New details from the indictment filed earlier today against Tamirlan Ameshukov and Alina Kushnirko, the Ashkelon couple charged with espionage for Iran, reveal that they photographed the grave of Ze'ev Jabotinsky at Mount Herzl approximately one week before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's memorial ceremony at the site. The charge sheet, filed at the Tel Aviv District Court, alleges that an Iranian handler directed the couple to document the grave as part of a broader intelligence-gathering operation targeting sensitive locations and security personnel.
The indictment, filed at 13:31 Jerusalem time, caps a rapidly unfolding investigation. The Zioneer first reported the couple's arrest in July 2026, with subsequent updates identifying the suspects and detailing their systematic collection of intelligence on homes of security personnel, civilian and military infrastructure, and sensitive sites including Eilat Port and Mount Herzl. Earlier reports indicated that the suspects were recruited via Telegram by a profile named 'Aslan' and received payments in cryptocurrency and credit card transfers. The investigation has established that the suspects were aware they were acting for an Iranian handler.
The Zioneer has previously reported on the annual state memorial ceremony for Ze'ev Jabotinsky at Mount Herzl, where Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on July 14. The indictment's revelation that the grave was photographed in advance of that ceremony underscores the intelligence threat posed by Iranian espionage networks operating inside Israel. The case is part of a broader pattern of Iranian attempts to recruit Israeli citizens for surveillance tasks, as The Zioneer has documented in previous reports, including the indictment of a Tajik national for similar offenses.
The investigation remains ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether the information gathered by the couple was transmitted to Iranian handlers before the memorial ceremony. Further details may emerge as the legal proceedings continue.
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