Speculations about the purpose of the Israeli spies in northern Italy

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
2 Jun 2023 22:32
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Italian media theorizes that Israeli agents were investigating ties between Iranian and Italian firms in the Lombardy industrial zone.

A vessel that sank on Lake Maggiore in Italy with four fatalities, May 28, 2023 (Italian fire and rescue services)

After a houseboat carrying an odd assortment of Israeli and Italian espionage personnel capsized in northern Italy earlier killing 4 passengers, there have been growing speculations about the purpose of this peculiar crew.

Yesterday, Italian police investigating the incident confirmed that 13 of the passengers had ties with Mossad and 8 were either members of Israeli intelligence or former members.

In a report, The Guardian highlights the suspicious coincidences surrounding the incident.

Two of the victims had worked formerly for the Italian intelligence. One was a retired Mossad agent, and the fourth was Anya Bozhkova, a Russian national, who ran a “boat and breakfast” service company with her Italian husband Claudio Carminati, The Guardian reported.

The police said that the boat had capsized in a sudden and violent storm that hadn't been anticipated by weather forecasts.

The police's investigation is directly geared towards Claudio Carminati's role in the incident but no questions have been raised about the purpose of this trip.

Italian media reported that the group had met "to exchange information and documents” and that they had stayed for a couple of days for leisure.

Corriere della Sera reported that the agents were allegedly spying on Russian businessmen who were buying an estate in the area circumventing the sanctions the EU has imposed against Russia.

Another theory was that Israelis were investigating ties between Iranian and Italian firms in the Lombardy industrial zone.

The Israeli agents who survived were swiftly evacuated the next day: business jets had flown from "Israel" to Milan.

According to the Israeli occupation's Foreign Ministry, the killed Israeli man, identified as Shimoni Erez, was a retired Mossad officer. Israeli Channel 12 said the man had only lately retired.

Italy’s security services indicated that the two others that were killed were a 62-year-old Italian male and a 53-year-old Italian female who work in the intelligence services.

It claimed in a statement that "the two employees, belonging to the intelligence department, were taking part in a convivial meeting organized to celebrate the birthday of one of the group."

Israeli media suggested that the former Israeli intelligence officer became friends with the Italians through work.

Israeli Channel 12 previously described the boat capsize and the death of the retired Mossad agent as a "seemingly mysterious" event.