Haifa resident arrested in Iranian conspiracy to kill Naftali Bennett

An Israeli citizen has been arrested in Haifa on suspicion of a sophisticated Iranian-backed plot to assassinate former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. 

The Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed on Thursday that 22-year-old Ami Gaidrov was detained in March following an intensive counter-intelligence operation that uncovered a year-long trajectory of radicalization and espionage for Iran.

According to investigators, Gaidrov’s descent into Iranian regime recruitment began in August 2025. 

Over the course of several months, he allegedly transformed a rented Haifa apartment into a makeshift laboratory for manufacturing explosives, documenting his progress on specialized operational phones to provide "proof of performance" to his Iranian handlers. In exchange for these activities, Gaidrov was reportedly paid more than 70,000 NIS ($22,600), with the funds largely laundered through cryptocurrency wallets to evade detection.

Authorities say Gaidrov acted as an active Iranian intelligence asset on the ground, transmitting sensitive visual data of the Haifa port and precise coordinates of missile impact sites across northern Israel. His handlers even tasked him with securing a strategic rental property overlooking the harbor to serve as a permanent surveillance outpost.

The investigation has also snared several alleged accomplices from northern Israel, including Sergei Libman and Edward Shuvatiuk. The pair is suspected of assisting Gaidrov by concealing explosives, and participating in field tests to ensure the lethality of the devices.

Israeli security officials noted that Iranian intelligence increasingly utilizes social media and anonymous digital platforms to recruit citizens for seemingly "small" tasks that eventually escalate into high-stakes terrorism. "The transition from a paid online errand to manufacturing bombs for an assassination is swifter than many realize."