The Southern District Attorney's Office indicted today an Israeli citizen who impersonated a captain in the IDF, joined in the military's activities on October 7, despite not being called to IDF reserve duty, and obtained access to highly classified information, which he documented in various ways.
The suspect was further accused of having shared that confidential information on several occasions with unauthorized civilians and military officials.
Accused of several charges
The accused was arrested and questioned following suspicions that arose in the IDF. The indictment attributes to the accused a number of offenses, namely fraudulent acceptance under aggravating circumstances, providing confidential information, possessing unauthorized confidential information, and entry into a military locale.
It is important to note that the investigation revealed that the defendant did not act on behalf of hostile parties and did not give to such parties any confidential information he gleaned.
The defendant's lawyers, attornies Moshe Mazor and Reut Rahman, were cited by Maariv as saying: "The accused, an officer in the reserves, has denied what is alleged in the indictment, and he has evidence that proves his innocence and his authority to receive the alleged information, which naturally, given the gag order, we are unable to detail at this stage. We believe that at the end of the legal hearing, the matter will receive the right proportions, and the legal process will end with his acquittal."
Not the first case of troop impersonation
This is not the first case of indictment against an Israeli citizen who has been found allegedly impersonating a military official. On December 31, the Tel Aviv District Court indicted Roi Yifrah on charges he had allegedly impersonated an official in an elite Shin Bet unit, managing to make his way into combat.
According to a Channel 12 report, Yifrah had allegedly been photographed with Netanyahu in full combat gear. Yifrah's lawyers stated he should be praised for saving lives under fire while in a war zone.