Tajikistan's interior minister said has said that a man arrested in Israel on suspicion of spying for Iran is no longer a Tajik citizen, contradicting earlier statements by Israeli authorities that described the suspect as a dual Tajik-Russian national.
Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda told a news conference in Dushanbe on July 21 that the suspect was born in Tajikistan but had renounced his Tajik citizenship and obtained a Russian passport.
Rahimzoda gave no further details, and his statement could not immediately be independently verified.
Tajikistan and Russia have a dual citizenship agreement.
Israel's police, Shin Bet domestic security service, and Defense Ministry announced on July 2 that they had arrested a man they identified as Behruz Sobirjon, describing him as a Tajik citizen who also held Russian citizenship.
Authorities said he was detained in June following a joint investigation.
According to Israeli investigators, the suspect had been in contact with an Iranian intelligence handler since January and allegedly carried out most of his activities during last month's war with Iran.
They said he photographed missile impact sites and other sensitive locations, transmitted the material to Iran, and attempted to recruit additional operatives, Israeli media reported.
Israeli authorities said he initially believed he was responding to a legitimate job offer but continued cooperating after realizing he was dealing with an Iranian intelligence operative.
On July 6, Israeli prosecutors filed an indictment identifying the suspect as 33-year-old Behruz Sharif Dodoboev.
Prosecutors alleged he gathered information on missile strike locations, the Haifa coastline, and an Elbit Systems defense facility and passed it to Iranian intelligence in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and neither the suspect nor his lawyer has publicly responded to the charges.
The case comes amid heightened tensions following last month's war between Israel and Iran.
Israeli authorities have announced a series of arrests over alleged espionage on Tehran's behalf, while Iranian authorities have detained hundreds of people accused of collaborating with Israel and, in several cases, carried out executions on espionage-related charges.
