Mordechai Vanunu: leak, abduction and conviction
Verified: Documented in primary records or confirmed by reputable inquiry/reporting.
Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician, gave the Sunday Times an account of activity at Israel’s Dimona facility in 1986. An Israeli court convicted him of treason and spying on 24 March 1988. He served about 17½ years, much of it in solitary confinement, according to the LA Times.
Documented
The conviction is reported by UPI. The LA Times and BBC describe how he came to be in Israel; UPI says the case was “shrouded in secrecy amid allegations of kidnapping and sexual intrigue”.
Claimed, disputed or not established
The LA Times says an operative code-named “Cindy” lured him to Rome, where he was drugged. That is press reporting of how he was captured, and the BBC notes early reports conflicted. Israel has never said publicly whether it has nuclear weapons.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- UPI: Israeli court convicts nuclear technician of treason, spying (24 Mar 1988) ↗https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/03/24/Israeli-court-convicts-nuclear-technician-of-treason-spying/5798575182800/
- LA Times: Vanunu freed (22 Apr 2004) ↗https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-22-fg-vanunu22-story.html
- BBC On This Day: Vanunu abduction reports ↗http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/6/newsid_3752000/3752128.stm
Connected
- Section: Israel
- Agencies: Mossad
- Case board · Timeline (1988) · Document vault