It has been cleared for publication that Israel’s former Energy Minister Gonen Segev, who served under the government of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the early 90’s, was arrested about a month ago under allegations of espionage on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 62-years-old former Israeli minister has been charged by Israel’s security agency with “aiding the enemy in wartime, committing espionage against Israel and relaying information to the enemy.” According to the Israeli security agency, Segev made contact with Iranian intelligence operatives back in 2012, apparently at his own initiative, at the Iranian embassy in Nigeria, where he lived in recent years. In the course of his relationship with the Iranians, he is suspected to have visited the Islamic Republic twice. He is also alleged to have met with his handlers around the world, in hotels and safe houses. That said, it is unclear how much classified information Segev had, considering the fact that he has not been part of Israel’s top political echelon for more than two decades. That said, the Israeli security agency revealed that “During the interrogation, it became clear that Segev had given his Iranian handlers information about the energy market, security sites in Israel, buildings and the identity of diplomatic and security officials.” In contrast, the former Israeli Energy Minister claimed, under questioning, that he had attempted to deceive the Iranians in order to gain information from them and then bring it to Israel – a claim the Israeli security agency reportedly rejected.
