Israeli authorities arrested three people, including a Shin Bet employee accused of giving confidential information to unauthorized parties, it was cleared for publication on Tuesday.
The Israel Security Agency, known by its Hebrew acronym Shin Bet, is responsible for intelligence gathering, counterterrorism, and counterintelligence within Israel and the Palestinian territories.
According to an indictment filed in Lod District Court, the three suspects did not intentionally seek to harm national security, but the information that was transferred “led to a real risk of human life and the security of the state,” the Shin Bet said announcing the arrests.
Once the source of the leaked information was traced to the Shin Bet, the Israeli Police’s Lahav 433 unit became involved. Lahav 433 is often referred to as “Israel’s FBI” because of the national-level crimes it investigates.
As the investigation unfolded, it emerged that some of the information the Shin Bet employee passed along to other Israelis was eventually shared widely with “many unauthorized parties.”
