Mordechai Vanunu

{{Audio|He-Mordechai_Vanunu.ogg|Mordechai Vanunu}} (מרדכי ואנונו) (born October 13, 1954), also known by his baptismal name John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician who revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986. He was subsequently lured to Rome by an American Mossad agent, abducted and smuggled to Israel, where he was tried behind closed doors and convicted of treason.

2004 arrests

On Thursday, November 11, 2004, Vanunu was arrested by the International Investigations Unit of the Israeli police at around 9 AM while eating breakfast. The arrest stemmed from an ongoing probe examining suspicions of leaking national secrets and violating legal rulings since his release from prison. About 20 police officers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying machine guns entered into the walled compound of St. George's Anglican Church in East Jerusalem, where Vanunu had been renting a room since his release. Police removed papers and a computer from his room. After a few hours' detention, Vanunu was put under house arrest, which was to last seven days.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4003869.stm

Related Topics:
November 11 - Israeli police - Breakfast - Bulletproof vest - Machine gun - East Jerusalem - House arrest

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The arrest came three months after Vanunu said in an interview that Israel was behind the John F. Kennedy assassination. In the interview he had said the assassination was due to "pressure exerted on then-head of government David Ben-Gurion to shed light on Dimona's nuclear reactor." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/Printer&cid=1090725927691&p=1078027574121 (See also: Kennedy assassination theories).

Related Topics:
John F. Kennedy assassination - Kennedy - Head of government - David Ben-Gurion - Kennedy assassination theories

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On December 24, 2004, in a vehicle marked as belonging to foreign press, Vanunu was apprehended by Israeli Police while he was attempting to exit Israel. In violation of his release restrictions (see above), he was entering the West Bank, allegedly to attend mass at the Church of the Nativity. After posting bail of 50,000 NIS, he was released into five-day house arrest as reported by the BBC.

Related Topics:
December 24 - West Bank - Church of the Nativity - Bail - NIS

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In an interview with Jeff Heinrich from the Montreal Gazette, he said he wanted to emigrate to Canada: "I choose Canada".

Related Topics:
Gazette - Canada

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