By: Aryeh Savir
The IDF revealed on Monday the outline and additional details on the case that involved an officer from the Intelligence Division who committed serious security offenses and subsequently died in prison.
The army launched an investigation following information regarding a “serious breach of state security.” The investigation conducted on the subject raised suspicions that the officer, whose name was not cleared for publication, who served in a technological unit in the Intelligence Division, knowingly carried out a number of actions that severely damaged state security.
The officer cooperated in his interrogation and confessed to many of the acts attributed to him.
His actions reportedly compromised technology and capabilities but not a specific mission or operation.
The investigation revealed that the officer “acted independently, for personal motives, and not for ideological, nationalist or economic motives,” the IDF highlighted.
“We emphasize that the officer was not activated by a foreign factor or was in contact with hostile elements,” the IDF underscored.
This may mean that the officer’s motivation was romantic or possibly a fight with a commanding officer that led him to compromise the unit.
The investigation also revealed that the officer was aware of the “potential damage to national security” as a result of his actions, and tried to hide them. The investigation also examined the control and supervision procedures in the officer’s unit, and another inquiry was conducted in the unit to learn and draw lessons.
At the end of the investigation and after examining its findings, an indictment was filed against the officer alleging serious security offenses.
“The decision as to the indictment gives weight to the allegedly significant damage caused by the offenses,” the IDF noted.
The officer was to be represented by senior defense attorneys from the military defense, according to his choice and after consulting with his family. The investigation materials were made fully available to defense attorneys upon filing the indictment. Recently, materials related to his recruitment processes to the IDF were also transferred.
For reasons of national security, the hearings were held behind closed doors, in the presence and absence of the officer. The officer’s family was present at some of the hearings. The media was banned from covering the story.
The officer’s detention was extended by the court during his interrogation. Subsequently, after the filing of the indictment, the tribunal extended the officer’s detention until the end of the legal proceedings, with his consent and that of his attorney, given for practical reasons, and without waiving the officer’s claims against the charges.
Before the stage of the court hearings and the presenting of evidence began, and on the recommendation of the tribunal, a mediation procedure began.
The officer was subsequently found dead in prison, an apparent suicide.
On the night of May 17, 2021, the officer held at the military detention base was found in a serious medical condition in his cell. He was treated at the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The IDF emphasized that while in prison, the officer was detained at military detention facilities, in his name, kept in touch with the prison staff and was in the vicinity of other inmates. The officer was held in the cell with additional inmates and not in solitary confinement.
During his stay in prison, the officer was granted rights as required.
As a prisoner, the officer regularly received medical treatment and accompaniment from mental health professionals.
The officer’s family members visited him at the detention base and were in regular contact with him. In addition, the officer kept in touch with two of his friends. Officials from the intelligence department visited him several times.
During the period of detention, and several months before his death, the officer was released from service at his request. Under the Military Cemeteries Act, in these circumstances, he could not be brought for burial in a military cemetery.
As a rule, a detainee whose case is being conducted by a military tribunal continues to stay in the military prison even if he was released from service during his detention.
The tragic death of the late officer is currently being investigated by a special panel in the Personnel Division.
“The IDF emphasizes that any death of a service in the IDF or a death in a military facility requires a thorough examination and investigation, and this is also being done in this case,” it stated.
Another team is examining the IDF’s incarceration system, with an emphasis on the incarceration of inmates with “unique characteristics.” The team was established out of the IDF’s commitment to the safety and health of detainees in the military detention base.
In the days following his death, the commander of the deceased’s unit visited the family home and gave them more details about their son.
The family was presented with a censored copy of the indictment and they knew the counts of the offenses with which the officer was charged. At the request of the family, the indictment filed against the officer in full was presented to the parents of the late officer on Monday.
“The IDF will continue to keep in touch with the family as needed,” it said.
The officer’s body was examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine. A doctor representing the family was present at the autopsy. The institute’s opinion has not yet been received and the results of the toxicological tests have not yet been received.
Many others details remain under a gag order and a long list of questions still remains unanswered, primarily about the circumstances of the officer’s death.
(TPS)
