US citizen arrested in Israel for allegedly spying for Iran

Israeli police arrested a U.S. citizen living in the country over allegations of spying for Iranian intelligence.

A 20-year-old male with residency in Jerusalem was arrested on June 9 and will face charges in court over suspicions that he was in contact with an Iranian state agent. The suspect is alleged to have taken pictures and videos of sensitive sites in exchange for financial compensation.​

​Prosecutors filed a declaration against the suspect on Tuesday, which is the first step before an indictment. He is expected to face formal charges in the coming days. The suspect remains in custody until legal proceedings conclude and must go through trial proceedings before being convicted.

In the prosecutor’s statement, the suspect is alleged to have photographed sensitive sites in Israel and then sold the images to an Iranian operative for up to hundreds of dollars.

The suspect was arrested in a joint operation by the Israel Police and Shin Bet Security Agency after suspicions were raised by international security officials, according to Ynetnews.

This is not the first time an American has been accused of spying for Iran.

The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of former Air Force Intelligence officer Monica Witt, who allegedly provided Iran with sensitive and classified U.S. national defense information.