USA / FILE: An 84-year-old American has been arrested on suspicion of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s

Record ID: 395450

  • Title: USA / FILE: An 84-year-old American has been arrested on suspicion of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s
  • Date: 22nd April 2008
  • Summary: (W2) UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FILE) (REUTERS) STILL PHOTO OF POLLARD AND HIS WIFE ESTHER
  • Embargoed: 7th May 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Legal System,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA4W9J4363D5CAW1BV7LWMU6G68
  • Story Text: The United States arrested an 84-year-old American on Tuesday (April 22, 2008) suspected of giving Israel secrets on nuclear weapons, fighter jets and missiles in the 1980s, in a case linked to the Jonathan Pollard spy scandal that rocked U.S.-Israeli relations.
    The arrest of Ben-Ami Kadish indicates that Israeli spying revealed by the Pollard case, still an irritant to the U.S. alliance with Israel, may have spread wider than previously acknowledged.
    Kadish acknowledged his spying in FBI interviews and said he acted to help Israel, according to court documents.
    He was accused of reporting to an Israeli government handler who was also a main contact for Pollard, an American citizen serving a life term on a 1985 charge of spying for Israel.
    State Department spokesman Tom Casey said, "We will be informing the Israelis of this action ... 20-plus years ago during the Pollard case we noted that this was not the kind of behavior we would expect from friends and allies, and that would remain the case today."
    Authorities said Kadish was arrested in New Jersey on four counts of conspiracy and espionage after an investigation that began in 2005. The first spy charge carries a possible death sentence.
    Kadish made an initial appearance at Manhattan federal court. Looking frail and shuffling, Kadish smiled briefly at the judge who ordered his release on $300,000 bail and restricted his travel.
    Kadish did not speak, and his lawyer made no comment upon leaving.
    An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said they knew nothing about it and heard about it from media sources.
    Pollard pleaded guilty in 1986. Israel gave him citizenship in 1996 and acknowledged in 1998 the former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst was one of its spies. Israel has unsuccessfully sought Pollard's release.
    Kadish is a Connecticut-born U.S. citizen who worked as a mechanical engineer at the Army's Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, New Jersey.
    His spying lasted roughly from 1979 to 1985, and his contact with the unidentified Israeli handler continued until March of this year, the federal complaint against him said.
    Based on circumstances of the case, Kadish's contact as could be Yosef Yagur, who has been linked in court documents to the Pollard case. A Justice Department spokesman said he could not confirm that.
    The complaint cited Kadish as saying that, unlike Pollard, he received no money from the Israelis.
    Kadish used his security clearance to borrow 50 to 100 classified documents from the arsenal's library, the complaint said. He worked from a list provided by the handler, identified in court documents as "CC-1." The contact photographed the documents in Kadish's basement.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Video restrictions: parts of this video may require additional clearances. Please see ‘Business Notes’ for more information.
Register