Israel secretly imprisoned Prisoner X because the Mossad spy agency believed he was about to reveal secrets about its work to Australia, ABC News revealed on Tuesday.
The notorious agency believed Ben Zygier was about to inform on its operations in Europe to Australia’s security agency ASIO.
According to the report, Zygier was involved in exporting communications technology via a Mossad front company to Iran and other Middle Eastern states, raising the possibility he was involved in cyber warfare.
The revelation comes after the same network broadcast a program identifying Zygier as Prisoner X, who was arrested and held incommunicado in 2010. Shortly after his arrest he reportedly committed suicide.
Israel issued a gagging order against reporting the story, but later eased restrictions and admitted that Zygier was indeed Prisoner X.
The latest Foreign Correspondent program on Zygier’s case reported he had met with ASIO agents and told them of Mossad operations, including a top-secret mission in Italy.
The program said Zygier had set up an communications company as a Mossad front in Europe to export components to Iran.
Iran has been the target of cyber attacks in recent months originating from Israel and the U.S.
