A suspected Mossad agent known as Prisoner X was arrested by his own spymasters after leaking detailed information about his work to Australian intelligence services, according to sources cited by broadcaster ABC on Monday.
Ben Zygier, an Australian-Israeli, gave Australian intelligence officials a comprehensive account of a number of Mossad operations, the sources told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Israel’s parliament said it would launch an “intensive” inquiry into Zygier’s arrest and death after the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent programme last week exposed his identity.
According to the ABC, Zygier was found hanged in his cell in Ayalon prison near Tel Aviv in December 2010, in a case Israel went to extreme lengths to cover up.
It imposed a total media blackout on the case but was forced to ease the restrictions after the story made headlines across the world, rendering the local gag order ineffective.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that shining too much light on intelligence activities can “badly damage” state security.