Israeli arrested for smuggling sensitive military components to Russia

By Zain Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – An Israeli citizen was arrested over charges of smuggling sensitive military components used for nuclear weapons from the US to Russia, according to local media on Saturday.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Alexey Brayman, 35, who holds US citizenship, was arrested along with another US citizen and five Russians on Wednesday in New Hampshire state.

Brayman is part of a Russian international spy network that works for smuggling weapons to Russia for bypassing Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its war on Ukraine, the broadcaster said.

According to US CBS news network, Brayman's indictment shows that he "repeatedly used the New Hampshire residence as a transshipment point for repackaging sensitive military-grade and export-controlled items and forwarding them to intermediate locations in Europe and Asia, from where they were transshipped to Russia."

The Israeli citizen and his accomplices face imprisonment up to 30 years if convicted, according to the US Justice Department.

Russia started its military campaign against Ukraine early this year, taking much of the country’s eastern territories, prompting the US and Europe to impose economic sanctions on Moscow.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar