Ex-Mossad agent Ben Zygier, who committed suicide in his prison cell in Israel in 2010, leaked sensitive information that led to the arrest of at least two Mossad informants spying on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to a report by German weekly Der Spiegel, Zygier worked for Israeli intelligence for five years before being arrested for "serious crimes" which have not yet been revealed.
An "internal inquiry", the contents of which were obtained by the Der Spiegel details the background for Zygier's arrest and subsequent suicide.
Der Spiegel’s report says that that Zygier was suspected of relaying the names of two operatives working for the Mossad - Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh – to a Hezbollah supporter.
The two Lebanese citizens were arrested and sentenced to 15 years hard labor for espionage for Israel. Their capture led to a wave of arrests in Lebanon of citizens accused of spying for Israel.
According to the article, Zygier, who was from Mebourne, Australia, began working for Mossad when he was 23-years-old. He was sent to work in European companies that trade with Iran and Syria with the purpose of penetrating those countries.
A year later the Mossad allowed Zygier to complete his academic studies in Australia.
The inquiry claimed that before leaving for Australia the agent tried to enlist new informants – "maybe with the intention of restoring his standing." But he was apparently indiscreet about his activities with the Mossad, which eventually learned he was leaking details of his service, some of them inaccurate. He exposed information that led to the arrest of the Lebanese informants.
Zygier was called back to Israel to face an investigation during which details of his unauthorized solo Hezbollah operation came to light. He was subsequently arrested, incarcerated under strict secrecy, and charged with what one of his lawyers said last month with “serious” crimes.
Israeli authorities reportedly sought a prison sentence of up to 10 years for the offenses. A plea bargain was under discussion when Zygier hanged himself with a bed sheet in the shower of his prison cell on December 15, 2010.