The Israeli Central Court in Lod sentenced a Belgian citizen to seven years in prison on Tuesday after convicting him of spying for Iran.
According to Arabs 48, Israel arrested Iranian-born Belgian citizen Ali Mansouri on 11 September, 2013 at Ben Gurion Airport. It is claimed that he was carrying photographs of the American embassy and other sites inside Israel when he was detained. Israeli media report that Mansouri had visited Israel several times and was monitored by the intelligence services.
The prison term handed down to Mansouri will be backdated to the date of his arrest. His lawyer said that the court had listened to him, which proved that his client was not a threat to Israel’s security. He added that the sentence is “reasonable” and that he did not plan to launch an appeal.
The Belgian was apparently commissioned by Iran to establish a business in Israel that could be used as a facade for intelligence activities. The Times of Israel claims that Mansouri said that he was promised $1 million in exchange for his activities inside Israel. He also described how he was recruited by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The newspaper added that there was a gagging order in place during the early stages of his detention and trial.
Israel’s Channel 2 TV, meanwhile, has reported that Mansouri was tortured during questioning by the Shen Bet internal security agency.