Couple from Ashkelon charged with spying for Iran: these are the sites they were instructed to photograph, including in Eilat

The State Attorney's Office filed an indictment today (Thursday) at the Tel Aviv District Court against Tamirlan Amushokov (26) and Alina Kushnirenko (24), a couple from Ashkelon, for espionage offenses on behalf of Iran. According to the indictment filed by Adv. Oren Haim from the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, a profile identifying itself as "Aslan" contacted Amushokov via a Telegram group and offered to transfer funds to a credit card, which he would withdraw in cash and transfer to another person in exchange for a commission. Amushokov did not carry out that task, but continued to communicate with the operative.

Later, "Aslan" suggested that Amushokov perform observation, documentation, and tracking tasks for him and another operative named "David" at various addresses throughout Israel, targeting individuals whose identities he would send, in exchange for payment via cryptocurrency. Amushokov accepted the offer and recruited his partner for the tasks. The period of operation, according to the indictment, lasted from April 2026 to July 2026, during which the couple systematically acted to collect intelligence on various locations in the country, including the residences of security personnel and civilian and military infrastructure.

"The couple did this knowing that it involved providing information to hostile elements, which could benefit the enemy," the document stated.

The defendants initially denied knowing they were working for Iran, but as the investigation progressed, they confessed to the charges and admitted that they had a strong suspicion from the beginning that their actions were not legitimate, yet they continued them anyway.

The indictment alleges that the two documented, among other things, residential buildings in Ashdod, Beersheba, and Haifa, where they were asked to locate and photograph specific people, including a defense plant employee and a member of the security forces. In addition, it is alleged that they documented the Ramat Aviv Mall, including emergency exits and an area where there are no security cameras, as well as a private house in Kadima-Zoran. It is further alleged that the two traveled to Eilat, where they documented the promenade, the port, and the sea, and were later asked to approach a military port and a naval base to document ships. According to the indictment, Amushokov left the base without carrying out the task after fearing to continue. Later, he purchased an operational phone funded by the Iranian agent, and Kushnirenko assisted in its operation.

According to the indictment, Amushokov subsequently also documented the Mount Herzl area in Jerusalem, including the entrance, access roads, the Herzl Museum, and IDF soldiers who were at the site. Furthermore, it is alleged that the foreign agent asked him to perform additional tasks, including renting an apartment in Haifa to install a camera, recruiting taxi drivers, and transferring funds, but these tasks were not carried out. It is also alleged that on the day he was supposed to carry out another task in Beersheba, the two were arrested, and the task was not executed.