First Published July 20, 2011
Map marking the spot of Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Photo from Israel's YNet news of Mossad case officer Ofer Mizrahi before his last, fatal, mission, crushed by earthquake, in Christchurch, NZ.
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The remains of Ofer's crushed van after the most devastating, Christchurch Earthquake (via YNet news).
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My comments are in [ ] brackets and at end. msnbc.com (Asia Pacific) June 20, 2011 reports:
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — One of the victims of the February [2011] earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand may have been an Israeli spy [intelligence officer who had the job of collecting NZ passports for later use by Mossad, Shin-Bet or Israeli military intelligence] according to a report in The Southland Times.
The man, Ofer Benyamin Mizrahi, 24, was carrying five passports with him at the time of his death, according to the Times. The newspaper's reports centered around a possible breach of New Zealand's national police computers. The Times said police and the nation's New Zealand SIS. were investigating.
New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key, who was in Los Angeles Tuesday, declined to comment on the report other than to say "there had been no misuse of the police computer system or New Zealand passports by Israeli citizens," The Southland Times reported.
Mizrahi was one of three Israelis who died in the Feb. 22, 2011. earthquake, according to the Israeli media outlet Haaretz. Around 120 Israelis were living in the area around Christchurch at the time of the 6.3 magnitude quake, which destroyed most of the central business district in the southern city of Christchurch.
Misrahi and three other people were in a van that was crushed by a falling pillar. Misrahi was killed, but the others were able to extricate themselves, the The Southland Times said.
Mizrahi's three companions, one man and two women, photographed the crushed van and rendezvoused at a city square that Israeli officials had designated an "emergency meeting point," then were able to travel back to Israel within 12 hours, The Southland Times said.
[further proof that the passport gathering activity was an extensive and expensive Israeli operation comes from this: ] New Zealand authorities later confronted an "unaccredited Israeli search and rescue squad" and [armed New Zealand special weapons squad guards disarmed the Israeli "squad"] from the sealed-off area in the city, the Times said. This Israeli squad was one of two private search parties brought from Israel to New Zealand, without prior coordination with local authorities in New Zealand, [Israel's] Haaretz reported.
Israel's ambassador to the South Pacific region, Shemi Tzur [putting on a bold face] said the spy reports were "science fiction," The Southland Times said. New Zealand police say they are confident their computer system is secure.
COMMENT
Israel obtains and uses "real" passports from popular, obscure accent, neutral countries, like New Zealand, for Israel's worldwide intelligence operations.
Invaluable Wikipedia reports that Israeli agents visiting NZ were earlier caught red-handed in 2004 attempting to acquire NZ passports:
Invaluable Wikipedia reports that Israeli agents visiting NZ were earlier caught red-handed in 2004 attempting to acquire NZ passports:
"In July 2004, New Zealand imposed diplomatic sanctions on Israel over an incident in which two Australian based Israelis, Uriel Kelman and Eli Cara , who were allegedly working for Mossad, attempted to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports by claiming the identity of a severely disabled man. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom later apologized to New Zealand for their actions.
New Zealand cancelled several other passports believed to have been obtained by Israeli agents. Both Kelman and Cara served half of their six-month sentences and, upon release, were deported to Israel see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad#New_Zealand.
New Zealand cancelled several other passports believed to have been obtained by Israeli agents. Both Kelman and Cara served half of their six-month sentences and, upon release, were deported to Israel see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad#New_Zealand.
Here is Israel's national anthem, Hatikva" or "Hope". Presented here not because Ofer was Israeli but in memory of him as a fellow Mossad officer dying on the job and because the singer, Shiri Maimon, is decidedly spunky.