Mister X (prisoner)
Encyclopedia
Mister X, also Mr. X and Prisoner X, are placeholder name
s for a prisoner allegedly being held for unspecified crimes in Israel's
maximum security Ayalon jail. A source in the Israel Prison Service
claimed that the individual is a "terrorist" with a history of involvement with a banned organization (e.g. Hamas
or Hezbollah). It is reported that the man is confined in total seclusion, and that he is being housed in the cell that was built for Yigal Amir
, the assassin of Yitzhak Rabin
.
An article in Hebrew about "Mister X" appeared on 13 June 2010 in the Israeli news website Ynet
, but was deleted several hours later because of a gag order
requested by the Israeli intelligence service, Shabak. A Seattle-based blog
(Tikun Olam
) published a screenshot
of the article, as saved by Yahoo!
Web cache
, and an English
translation. Excerpt:
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
sent a letter to the attorney general
, Yehuda Weinstein
, protesting the conditions of this man’s detention. The chief legal counsel for the Association, Dan Yakir, wrote:
Weinstein's assistant replied that "The current gag order is vital for preventing a serious breach of the state's security, so we can not elaborate about this affair".
The Shabak gag order prohibiting mention of Mr. X or identifying him is still in place. In late June, The Daily Telegraph
broke the gag by reporting the story, though it did not identify who the detainee was. The report speculated that the case may involve espionage
.
In December 2010, Tikun Olam (blog)
quoted a confidential source in the inner political circle of Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak
, as saying that Prisoner X is Iranian Revolutionary Guard general and former Iranian deputy defense minister, Ali-Reza Asgari
. Asgari disappeared in Istanbul
in 2007 and reports have ciruclated that he was either kidnapped by western intelligence operatives or defected. News reports and Iranian sources quoted in the media have claimed Asgari is imprisoned in Israel. The Tikun Olam report provided the first confirmation by an Israeli source of the specific place he was imprisoned.
Placeholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed...
s for a prisoner allegedly being held for unspecified crimes in Israel's
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
maximum security Ayalon jail. A source in the Israel Prison Service
Israel Prison Service
The Israel Prison Service , commonly known in Israel by its acronym Shabas , is the prison service of Israel. It is responsible for maintaining civilian prisons in Israel, as well as detention centers for security prisoners. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security...
claimed that the individual is a "terrorist" with a history of involvement with a banned organization (e.g. Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
or Hezbollah). It is reported that the man is confined in total seclusion, and that he is being housed in the cell that was built for Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir
Yigal Amir is the Israeli assassin of Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin. The assassination took place on November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus six years for injuring Rabin's bodyguard, Yoram Rubin, under...
, the assassin of Yitzhak Rabin
Yitzhak Rabin
' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
.
An article in Hebrew about "Mister X" appeared on 13 June 2010 in the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
, but was deleted several hours later because of a gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
requested by the Israeli intelligence service, Shabak. A Seattle-based blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
(Tikun Olam
Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam is a Seattle-based political blog, which regularly reports on Israeli security matters, and is known to have good sources in Israel's military community...
) published a screenshot
Screenshot
A screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
of the article, as saved by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Web cache
Web cache
A web cache is a mechanism for the temporary storage of web documents, such as HTML pages and images, to reduce bandwidth usage, server load, and perceived lag...
, and an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation. Excerpt:
Nobody knows who Mr. X. is. Ynet has learned that a man has been imprisoned for some time in wing 15 of Ayalon Prison but nobody knows who he is and what charges he is being jailed for. Nobody talks to him, nobody sees him, nobody visits him, nobody knows he is in jail. "He was placed in full and complete separation from the outside world," said an Israel Prison Service official.
To enter the wing where the detainee is being held, you have to pass the jailers on the southern side of the prison and go through double iron doors. Unlike regular separation wings, where prisoners can talk loudly between the cells or see the goings-on in the corridors with mirrors, wing 15 has only one cell without neighboring cells and without a corridor, so that whoever is jailed in it is completely isolated from any living being.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel was created as an independent non-partisan organization to protect human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories under its control....
sent a letter to the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, Yehuda Weinstein
Yehuda Weinstein
Yehuda Weinstein is an Israeli lawyer and the Attorney General of Israel, having replaced the previous attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, on 1 February 2010.-Biography:...
, protesting the conditions of this man’s detention. The chief legal counsel for the Association, Dan Yakir, wrote:
It is insupportable that, in a democratic country, authorities can arrest people in complete secrecy and disappear them from public view without the public even knowing such an arrest took place.
Weinstein's assistant replied that "The current gag order is vital for preventing a serious breach of the state's security, so we can not elaborate about this affair".
The Shabak gag order prohibiting mention of Mr. X or identifying him is still in place. In late June, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
broke the gag by reporting the story, though it did not identify who the detainee was. The report speculated that the case may involve espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
In December 2010, Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam is a Seattle-based political blog, which regularly reports on Israeli security matters, and is known to have good sources in Israel's military community...
quoted a confidential source in the inner political circle of Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
, as saying that Prisoner X is Iranian Revolutionary Guard general and former Iranian deputy defense minister, Ali-Reza Asgari
Ali-Reza Asgari
Brigadier General Ali-Reza Asgari was an Iranian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, deputy defense minister, and cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami....
. Asgari disappeared in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
in 2007 and reports have ciruclated that he was either kidnapped by western intelligence operatives or defected. News reports and Iranian sources quoted in the media have claimed Asgari is imprisoned in Israel. The Tikun Olam report provided the first confirmation by an Israeli source of the specific place he was imprisoned.
External links
- Justizskandal in Israel: Staatsgeheimnis um den Gefangenen X, Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
(German)