20 Nov 2021; MEMO: Omri Goren, the housekeeper of Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz, has been arrested and charged with espionage over offering to spy on Gantz for Iran, Israeli media reported on Friday.
According to Israeli Channel 12 news, Goren reached out to Black Shadow, a cyber-hacker group, on Telegram and proposed his help.
Goren allegedly used a fake identity to contact Black Shadow and said that he worked for Gantz and could help the hacking outfit in various ways.
The Times of Israel, which claims that Black Shadow is linked to Iran, disclosed that Goren had asked for just $7,000 to spy on Gantz.
Israel's Shin Bet security service revealed on Thursday the detention of Goren for allegedly offering to spy on Gantz for Iran.
Goren, according to Israeli media, is a convicted bank robber and has served multiple prison terms.
He was hired by Gantz when he was chief of staff of the Israeli army, and it appears that Shin Bet never looked into his personal history.
Shin Bet also revealed that Goren proposed to plant a bug on Gantz's computer in exchange for payment.
In an indictment filed on Thursday against him, Goren contacted a figure identified as a representative of Black Shadow.
The indictment stated that Goren told the group he would: "Transfer information from the house to [Black Shadow] in exchange for a sum of money."
According to The Times of Israel, the indictment stated that he took photographs of Gantz's desk, computer, phone, tablet, a closed safe, a paper shredder, pictures of Gantz and his family, and a copy of the minister's local property tax payments
Goren's lawyer, Gal Wolf, was reported by Israeli media indicating that his client admitted to some of the offences, but denied carrying out the security-related crimes attributed to him.
