Israeli Shin Bet reserve agent arrested for leaking classified info
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The Shin Bet reserve agent was arrested after the security agency was looking into concerns of Kahane elements infiltrating the Shin Bet.
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People walk outside the Israeli Supreme Court building in occupied al-Quds, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)
A reserve member of the Israeli Shin Bet was arrested on Tuesday under suspicion of leaking classified information to journalists and Minister Amichai Chikli, as confirmed by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The arrest took place about a week ago, but details of the case were only cleared for publication today, Tuesday, with Haaretz confirming that the suspect is being investigated by a joint police and Shin Bet interrogation unit.
The newspaper explained that the investigation was launched after Israeli journalist Amit Segal reported that the Shin Bet was looking into concerns about "the infiltration of Kahane-linked elements into the police," adding that the leak also included an internal Shin Bet document signed by the agency's head, Ronen Bar, which prompted an internal Shin Bet probe into how the document was leaked.
Earlier, the government's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, approved the launching of a criminal investigation, leading to the arrest of the suspect, a current Shin Bet reserve member who had previously served in the agency for an extended period, according to Haaretz.
The Israeli occupation police announced that the suspect was arrested last Wednesday on suspicion of "exploiting his security position and the access granted to Shin Bet systems to leak classified information on multiple occasions to unauthorized parties," adding that "due to the severity of the alleged offenses, the suspect was detained under an initial order barring meetings with a lawyer, which was later lifted."
Outcries over the case
On a related note, Zeev Elkin, the Israeli occupation's finance minister, demanded that Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar not remain in his position for "a single day longer," stating, "There have been countless leaks from the Shin Bet and guardianship parties, yet nothing has been properly investigated."
In the same context, Yair Golan, head of the "Democrats" party, stated: "The Shin Bet chief will do anything to save himself—he and his master Netanyahu pose a danger to Israel."
For his part, retired Major General Yitzhak Brik, former Military Ombudsman for the occupation's military, described the situation as "the most central threat to Israel's security," explaining that internal collapse endangers "Israel's" survival more than any external threat.
For her part, political correspondent Shira Avitan of Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom criticized the fact that the same government legal advisor who failed to examine or investigate past leaks is now probing this specific leak, arguing that "Israel is living through frightening times."
