On the same day that the murder of Chabad shaliach Rav Tzvi Kogan, H’yd, by Iranian agents was confirmed, a number of ministers, including two Otzma Yehudit ministers, received invitations to participate in Chabad Chanukah celebrations in Brooklyn, New York.

The invitations, received via WhatsApp, aroused the suspicion of Minister for the Negev Yitzchak Wasserlauf and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu via WhatsApp, prompting them to consult with the security officers in their offices to verify the authenticity of the messages, Arutz Sheva reported.

The security officers forwarded the invitations to intelligence officials. A Shin Bet probe revealed that Iranian elements likely sent the invitations in an attempt to harm the ministers by luring them to a certain location.

The suspects used artificial intelligence technology to create a fictitious persona of a Rav and formulate the wording of the invitations, which were sent via a US phone number activated in October.

A quick perusal of the message [written in Hebrew] reveals why they aroused the suspicion of the ministers. The invitations stated: “Dear Sir: I, Rav Yitzchak Schaffer, on behalf of the Chabad movement, am honored to invite you to participate in the Chanukah celebrations that will take place at the end of December this year in the Brooklyn area, New York. This holiday occurs around the same time as the Christian Xmas holiday and the New Year.”

A subsequent message stated: “If you are interested and available to attend this event, I would appreciate it if you could confirm this as soon as possible so that we can issue an official invitation on behalf of the Chabad movement. We will take care of your travel and accommodation arrangements for the event. I eagerly await your response. Rav Yitzchak Schaffer, Chabad Movement.”

One minister’s assistant responded with a question to verify the identity of the fictitious character, who claimed, “I work at the Israeli embassy with Ambassador [to the US] Michael Herzog,” and also claimed, “I’m the second secretary at the embassy in Washington and my role focuses on cultural and religious matters.”

The minister’s assistant replied, “I checked with Ambassador Herzog and he doesn’t know who you are.” The character retorted, “You’re not telling the truth.”

The Israel-based Chabad CWA security organization stated: “The case is known to us and is being handled with the official security authorities.”

Chabad’s global security headquarters, Chabad World Assistance (CWA), was established after the deadly terror attack on the Chabad house in Mumbai in 2008 in which HaRav Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, H’yd, were murdered.

Arutz Sheva‘s requests for comments regarding the incident from the Shin Bet or Mossad did not receive a response.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)