New details published Thursday reveal the incriminating Telegram correspondence between Termilan Amashukov and Alina Kushnirnko, the Ashkelon couple who were charged with Iranian espionage earlier today. According to a report, Amashukov shared with his partner an offer from an Iranian agent to photograph a restaurant in Ashdod for payment. Despite initially expressing suspicion that the contact might involve terror elements, Kushnirnko later joined him in carrying out tasks for the handler.
A new report published Thursday afternoon reveals the incriminating Telegram correspondence between Termilan Amashukov and Alina Kushnirnko, the Ashkelon couple indicted earlier today for Iranian espionage. According to the report, Amashukov shared with his partner an early offer from an Iranian handler: to photograph a restaurant in Ashdod, including its menus and bill, for payment. Kushnirnko responded with skepticism, asking "What's wrong with you? And if they are planning something?" Despite her initial concern that the contact might be with terror elements, she later joined Amashukov in carrying out tasks for the Iranian agent.
As The Zioneer reported today at 14:10 Jerusalem, the couple was indicted at 13:31 Jerusalem on charges of espionage, accused of photographing homes of defense industry workers, the grave of Ze'ev Jabotinsky at Mount Herzl, and other sensitive sites. The thread of reports throughout the day has detailed how the suspects systematically collected intelligence on security personnel homes and infrastructure, and were fully aware they were working for an Iranian handler. The new Telegram correspondence now provides a window into the gradual recruitment process, starting with a seemingly innocuous task.
This case is part of a broader pattern of Iranian intelligence efforts to recruit individuals via Telegram, a trend The Zioneer has documented in multiple prior reports. These include the recruitment of a Tajik national who photographed missile impact sites and Haifa Port, and an American yeshiva student who documented sensitive locations. The method often involves initial financial offers to draw in targets, as seen in the early stages of the Ashkelon couple's contact.
The investigation remains ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether the couple's activities extended beyond the tasks already documented in the indictment. The court proceedings are expected to continue.
11 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake