The Shin Bet has issued its first statement on the new security affair, in which a Shin Bet agent has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information to journalists and a minister.
The Shin Bet stated that, „as part of the investigation, a Shin Bet (ISA) agent was suspected of taking advantage of his security role and his direct access to its classified information systems, to take this information and transfer it to unauthorized parties, on a number of occasions and in a confidential manner.“
„In light of the grave suspicion that classified information was found by a service worker in a manner that endangered security, an internal and vital investigation into the actions carried out by that agent has been initiated.“
It was further claimed that „following the findings of the investigation, the suspicion against him determined that he took active action to remove classified materials, in a doubtful manner, from the Shin Bet’s information systems, in violation of the law and the rules to which its employees are committed.“
„This is a serious and irregular case, in which the extent of the information that was taken and transferred to unauthorized parties was not clear from the outset and, accordingly, it was necessary to take action to stop the leak of information.“
„The Shin Bet wishes to emphasize that no journalists have been interrogated. They were not required to give testimonies as part of the investigation, and no wiretaps were put on any journalists‘ phones.“
The Shin Bet added that „in the past year, since the outbreak of the war, there has been an increase in the removal of classified materials from the security agencies and their information systems by security employees. Accordingly, more than twenty investigations have been carried out to identify the source of the leaks, in order to prevent the leak of more classified information from within the security establishment to unauthorized parties, that could endanger state security.“
„The Shin Bet will continue to act with determination and impartiality to protect state secrets and ensure the security of the citizens of Israel,“ they added.
