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Ori Elmakayes, who as a 17-year-old was operated in an intelligence operation under Gofman’s command. Credit: Ilan Assayag
Ori Elmakayes, who as a 17-year-old was operated in an intelligence operation under Gofman’s command. Credit: Ilan Assayag
A man wrongly jailed for espionage as a teen said Mossad chief-designate Roman Gofman would be dangerous to agents who get caught during an operation.
Ori Elmakayes, who was 17 at the time, was wrongly jailed for espionage for 18 months after Gofman denied having recruited him for an IDF online influence campaign. “I must clarify that in fact all my operations under Gofman, all the time, were for the national security my struggle here is also for the country and for Mossad agents,” Elmakayes said, testifying at a High Court hearing on petitions against Gofman’s nomination to head the agency.
“Gofman abandoned me and did not interrupt the ongoing nightmare I went through,” he said. “It cannot compare to an agent left stranded in an enemy country.” In January, Elmakayes said the Shin Bet security agency held him in a 1.6-meter (5-foot) “extremely cold” cell when he was suspected of espionage.
Mossad agents face danger “many times greater,” he said. According to Elmakayes, his attempt to block Gofman’s nomination is “a struggle for Mossad agents who will face mortal danger if abandoned, and for the security of the entire state.