21-year-old US citizen charged in Israel with espionage for Iran and receiving cryptocurrency as payment

Odaily Odaily reports that Eli Lavon, a US citizen studying at an ultra-Orthodox seminary in Jerusalem, has been indicted in Israel on espionage-related charges. According to the indictment, Lavon faces two counts of contacting foreign agents and 14 counts of transmitting information that could benefit the enemy.

Prosecutors allege that Lavon was recruited via Telegram, photographed sensitive locations, and placed hidden items with encoded messages for Iran-related contacts. He received approximately $1,379 worth of cryptocurrency as payment from two contacts. Lavon’s lawyer, Raz Bar Tzvi, told CNN that being contacted by a foreign actor online does not make someone a spy, arguing that the facts presented in the indictment are insufficient to support the charges. (Decrypt)