‘Hitman’ sent to kill Netanyahu by Iran is named as Israeli pensioner

A 73-year-old Israeli was arrested on Thursday for trying to kill Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, in an Iran-backed assassination plot.

Moti Maman, from Ashkelon, southern Israel, was smuggled twice into Iran, where talks were held over paying him as a hitman, according to Israeli security officials.

Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, and Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, were also allegedly discussed as targets in addition to Mr Netanyahu.

“The Israeli citizen entered Iran... smuggled through the border hidden inside a truck cabin,” an Israel Defense Forces statement read. “He met with additional Iranian intelligence agents and was asked by them to carry out activities for Iran on Israeli soil, including promoting assassination attacks.”

Mr Maman allegedly demanded an advance payment of $1 million (£756,000) before carrying out instructions.

Eyal Besserglick, his lawyer, said his client had made an “error of judgment” and was cooperating with Israel’s intelligence agencies.

“It can already be said that this is a person who has greatly assisted the security services of the State of Israel, whose children serve in the security forces,” he added.

Israel claimed Iran asked Mr Maman to carry out the assassinations as revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, on Iranian soil in July, which Tehran attributed to Jerusalem.

Mr Maman is a Jewish Israeli citizen who has spent an extended time living in Turkey.

“In April 2024, the citizen, with the assistance of [two] Turkish citizens, agreed to meet a wealthy businessman in Iran named Eddie to promote business activities,” a joint statement from Shin Bet and Israeli police said.

After being smuggled into Iran via the land border near Van, Turkey, he met Eddie as well as a man named Hajjah, an Iranian security operative, according to the statement.

During his time in Iran, the suspect was asked to carry out several missions in addition to assassinating senior Israeli officials, the statement said.

These are alleged to have included “transferring money or a gun at predetermined points, photographing various crowded places in the country and sending them to Iranian elements, threatening other Israeli citizens activated in the country by the Iranian regime who did not complete requested tasks”.

The suspect travelled to Iran a second time when he was hidden inside a truck cab and smuggled across the border, the statement continued.

Mr Maman was then alleged to have demanded one million dollars up front for the task, which the Iranian authorities refused. Instead, he received €5,000 for participating in the meetings, the statement said.

“Security assessments suggest that Iranians will continue their efforts to recruit operatives in Israel for intelligence gathering and carrying out terrorist missions in Israel, including approaching individuals with criminal backgrounds to fulfill these tasks,” said a senior Shin Bet official.