Iran detains dual national accused of spying for Israel during war

TEHRAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran has arrested a dual national holding Swedish citizenship on charges of spying during the 12-day war with Israel in June, a judiciary spokesman said on Tuesday.

At a weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran, spokesman Asghar Jahangir said the suspect obtained Swedish citizenship in 2020 and had been residing in Sweden before entering Iran one month prior to the outbreak of the conflict with Israel on June 13, and the individual had been recruited by Israel's intelligence services in 2023, according to the Mizan news agency of the Iranian judiciary.

Jahangir noted that the case had recently been investigated in Iran's northern Alborz province, where the suspect was living after entering the country. He said the individual had met with Israeli agents in the capitals of six European countries and received the necessary training, adding that the suspect had made several trips to Israel, the last of which occurred two weeks before entering Iran.

Jahangir also said that the individual, who possessed electronic spying equipment, had confessed to espionage on behalf of Israel, and that a verdict would be issued within the next few days.

Following the war, Iran's security, intelligence, and judicial authorities have arrested several individuals accused of spying for Israel. ■