WANA (Oct 07) – Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has announced the arrest of a cyber operative linked to Israel’s Mossad, known online by the alias “James Bidin.” According to official reports, the suspect played a key role in managing anti-Iranian social media pages, fueling street unrest, and later gathering sensitive security information for Israeli intelligence.

 

Authorities revealed that the individual initially created a fake account on X (formerly Twitter), where he published provocative and anti-government content to attract opposition followers. During the unrest of autumn 2022 in Iran, he reportedly introduced the idea of forming a network called “Hundred Neighborhoods” aimed at organizing riots and urban insecurity.

 

Confessions cited by state media suggest that the suspect also established ties with monarchist activists, including supporters of exiled figure Reza Pahlavi, promoting their agendas online. After the failure of street unrest, his mission allegedly shifted toward intelligence collection. Through a contact in Sydney, identified only as “Elaheh,” the suspect was introduced to a Mossad-linked operative using the online alias “Avin.” At this stage, he was tasked with gathering information on Iran’s military and security facilities, including the locations of special units, air defense centers, and sensitive installations.

Officials stated that some of the information collected by this network surfaced on social media during Israel’s recent military aggression against Iran. Following close surveillance, Iranian intelligence forces identified and arrested “James Bidin” along with associated members of the network.

 

In his televised confessions, the suspect admitted: “Supporting the Zionist regime was one of the darkest things I ever did. Today, I don’t even know how many people were harmed or killed as a result of our actions.”

 

The case comes against the backdrop of reports in the Israeli daily Haaretz, which earlier disclosed the activities of a Mossad-affiliated “cyber army” conducting psychological operations against Iran. According to those reports, parts of the network operated under the cover of monarchist propaganda campaigns, particularly through accounts linked to Reza Pahlavi.