Infiltration and Vandalism: A Comedy of Errors
Gather around, folks! Let’s dive into this real-life circus starring none other than Vladislav Victorson and his partner-in-crime—and perhaps in atrocious decision-making—Anna Bernstein, who were recently whisked off by the Shin Bet for allegedly plotting to perpetrate some serious mischief for Iran. It appears they’ve taken “social media engagement” to a dangerously absurd level!
The Couple: A Dynamic Duo or Just Dim-witted?
Vladislav, at a sprightly 30, apparently decided to take up a side gig as an “Iranian agent” after connecting with “Mari Hossi” on Telegram. It sounds more like an ill-fated dating app than a communication platform for espionage! And if their “strategic plans” involved vandalism and assassination, one must wonder—did they even think to check out their “agent’s” credentials? Maybe even a LinkedIn page?
“Criminals have taken over the city, and are doing whatever they want!”
And these two are not just dabbling in a bit of amateur graffiti. Oh no, they’re allegedly tossing grenades and plotting assassinations! If only they had spent as much effort on planning their heist as they did coordinating their Instagram feeds!
Confessions of a Pair Blinded by “Love” or Just Poor Judgment?
During their time under investigation, our lovebirds claimed, “We didn’t want to harm the security of the state!” That’s rich, isn’t it? Their best defense seems to be, “We thought we were just trying a different approach to street art!” But really, who doesn’t need a little avant-garde “ATM vandalism” in their lives?
And let’s take a moment to appreciate the sheer audacity of Vladislav’s request to recruit fellow citizens. I mean, how does one approach a friend with: “Hey, fancy joining me in sabotage and possibly a little bit of eco-terrorism?” Kind of makes you want to question their choice of Netflix shows, doesn’t it?
The Iranians: Masters of Subterfuge and Social Media
What’s even more impressive is the Iranian intel’s tactic of using social media to recruit unsuspecting citizens. What’s next? Targeting unsuspecting singles at the local coffee shop? “Hey there! I couldn’t help but notice your Tinder profile said, ‘Loves adventure and explosions’… Fancy a little mission?”
According to the Shin Bet, Vladislav was not just your run-of-the-mill graffiti artist; he was planning to play with fire (literally) and even reportedly arranged for a financial cut of $5,000 for his “artistic contributions.” For that price, he could have just taken up professional painting—much less hazardous, and at least his “works” wouldn’t include setting forests ablaze!
An Arrest Made In Hilarity
So here we are, questioning not just the sanity of these two but the broader implications of their actions. Two individuals caught in a web of confusion and poor decisions has led to their arrest and, undoubtedly, will serve as a cautionary tale swinging between comedy and tragedy.
So, the next time you connect with someone named “Mari Hossi” on social media, you might want to double-check their intentions. Or, you know, just stick to sharing cat memes. Those are always safe. Stay wise, stay safe, and remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably involves a grenade.
Vladislav Victorson, a resident of Ramat Gan who was arrested on suspicion of acting for Iran, and his partner, Anna Bernstein, who was also arrested, admitted to their investigations by the Shin Bet and the police that they were in contact with an Iranian agent who corresponded with them on social networks. The couple also admitted to vandalizing ATMs, spraying graffiti and planning to assassinate me A senior Israeli personality – at the behest of the agent.
>> “Criminals have taken over the city, and are doing whatever they want”
>> “If you don’t pay the debt, things will fly in the air”: they blackmailed with threats and threw a grenade at the house of a resident of Beit Shemesh
Among other things, Victorson is suspected of working to obtain a gun to carry out the assassination. “We knew we were in contact with an entity hostile to the State of Israel, but we did not want to harm the security of the state,” the two argued in their investigations. The investigators have Victorson’s Telegram messages with the Iranian agent and evidence of a search for weapons. Explosives attached to paper glue, spray cans and contact adhesive were found in the home of the two.
The couple’s arrest came after the testimony of Moshe Lukov, who reported to the Shin Bet that Victorson connected him with the Iranian agent. When Lukov realized that it was an intention to harm the security of the state, he warned Victorson to sever contact with him. “When I realized that it was an Iranian agent, I blocked the Telegram account His, I deleted messages and warned Vladislav and Anna that they were in contact with an Iranian entity and would cut off contact,” Lukov claimed in his testimony at the Shin Bet.
Victorson, a 30-year-old resident of Ramat Gan, is additionally suspected of spraying graffiti, hanging banners, planting money and setting fire to vehicles in the Yarkon Park area of Tel Aviv at the behest of the Iranians. According to the findings of the investigation, Victorson even agreed to carry out a mission to eliminate a person in Israel and to throw a grenade at a house and, subsequently, worked to obtain weapons, including a sniper rifle, pistols and grenades.
The burned vehicles in Yarkon Park
Victorson’s arrest was carried out as part of an activity by the Shin Bet and Wing 433 of the Israel Police. In this activity, an infrastructure of Iranian intelligence agencies was exposed, which works to recruit and activate citizens in Israel. The investigation by the Shin Bet and the police revealed that starting last August, Victorson was in contact on social media with an official called “Mari Hossi”. The contact took place in the Hebrew language.
“More Israelis received suspicious calls and reported”
As part of the relationship, Vladislav, under the guidance of the Iranian entity and while being aware of his identity as such, performed various tasks. Later he was asked to sabotage communication infrastructures and ATMs and set fire to forests. Some of the tasks described were documented and over $5,000 was paid for their performance.
In order to carry out his tasks, Vladislav recruited two other citizens, including his partner, Anna Bernstein, 18 years old, a resident of Ramat Gan, who took part in carrying out some of the tasks. Vladislav was even asked to locate street scouts in order to recruit them to carry out additional tasks and photograph demonstrators during protests. Today indictments were filed against those involved for security offenses.
“The appeal by the Iranian intelligence agencies, through social networks, is recognized as a platform for the random recruitment of Israelis to carry out various tasks,” the Shin Bet and the police said. The appeal was made in different languages, including English and Hebrew, through social platforms (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter) and the citizens responded to it in order to make a financial profit.
“It should be noted that a significant portion of the Israeli citizens who received suspicious inquiries, did not respond to them and even alerted the relevant authorities about them,” the police and Shin Bet added.
A senior official of the Shin Bet stated that “as part of the activities of the Shin Bet and the police, in recent months several infrastructures of Iranian intelligence agencies were exposed which worked to recruit Israeli citizens, in order to carry out various tasks that culminated in harming individuals in Israel. Many fictitious Iranian profiles were located and monitored on the networks and information was collected about The factors behind their operation. The exposure of the activity led to the arrest and investigation of Israeli citizens who were tempted to carry out missions. This investigation reveals, once again, the efforts of the Iranian intelligence agencies to recruit and exploit Israeli citizens in order to promote espionage and terrorist activity in Israel.”
Attorney Yigal Dotan, who represents the defendant on behalf of the public defender’s office for Iran: “We are at the beginning of the legal process, we have not yet received the investigation materials. At the same time, already at this stage it seems that this is a much less serious case than what is described in the media. We are talking about a young man who, according to the claim, most of the actions attributed to him are speechless. Of course, we will know more when we receive the investigation materials and respond in court.”
Did you find a language mistake?
