The Shin Bet security service has warned Israeli citizens to beware of attempts by terrorist groups to recruit them as agents via Facebook and other social networking sites on the Internet.

The security service has cited a number of recent incidents in which Arab terrorists have tried to lure Israelis to join their cells, either by making direct contact or by trying to arrange a seemingly innocent meeting with the intention of kidnapping them.

"The Shin Bet fears classified information may have been leaked, endangering the lives of Israeli who could be enticed to meet abroad with Internet contacts who have offered them deals," the service said in a statement.

In recent years, the Shin Bet has interrogated and sent to trial a number of Israelis who were allegedly recruited for these services via the Internet.


We wonder if one of the cited 'recent incidents' is the case of two Bedouin from Rahat who in July, 2008 were accused of having links to al-Qaeda and planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel. If so, consider the following from Connecting the Dots: A New Cold War Meets Chinese Lanterns Flying in the Wind of Change:
Haaretz' version of the story mentions this:
"The Shin Bet investigation had focused on Taher, who had turned toward radical Islam in recent years. The Shin Bet concluded that he had contacted Al-Qaida through the Internet and agreed to participate in terrorist activities inside Israel, offering details on the location of Israel Defense Forces camps, strategic installations and crowded public places that could be targeted."
Looks like Taher was duped or manipulated using the oldest trick in the book, called otherwise: The Sting. Another case of two naive Arabs who were used to 'create the reality' of an enemy that simply does not exist. We may never know the true details of both stories, but you can read Joe Quinn's article on the FBI version of the procedure.


Many of these terror groups have taken to search sites frequented by Israelis, especially former soldiers in covert Israel Defense Forces units, said the Shin Bet.

In a recent incident, a man who called himself "a Lebanese agent" offered an Israeli Facebook user money in exchange for classified information. The Israeli notified the Shin Bet of the incident and immediately cut off contact with the man.


Comment: Interesting nickname for an agent considering the following article published by another Israeli news source on the same day:
Lebanon: 2 spies have escaped to Israel

Two Lebanese citizens suspected of spying for Israel have fled the country and crossed the heavily fortified border into Israel, a senior Lebanese security official said Monday.

The official said the men, one of them a 49-year-old mathematics teacher, entered Israel Monday morning through a gate at the border fence near Kibbutz Bar Am. Each man was accompanied by two of his children, according to the official.[...]

Fifteen members of an alleged spy ring, including retired Lebanese general Adib Alam, were recently arrested by Lebanese authorities on suspicion of passing information to Israel.[...]


The Shin Bet has advised Israelis to refrain from broadcasting personal information on their network profiles, including phone numbers, areas of residence and e-mail addresses.