25 Facts About Nahum Manbar

Nahum Manbar is an Israeli businessman who was involved in arms trade with Iran.

Nahum Manbar was convicted in series of crimes against Israel's national security and served 14.5 years in prison, prior to his release in October 2011.

Nahum Manbar's parents were among the founders of the kibbutz.

Nahum Manbar served as an officer in the Paratroopers Brigade after being conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces.

Nahum Manbar served as an instructor at the IDF Officers' College.

Nahum Manbar then began selling produce at the Covent Garden market in London, but soon left Britain and entered the arms trade.

Nahum Manbar set up weapons companies in Poland and France.

Some weapons Nahum Manbar sold were purchased from the Polish Army.

Nahum Manbar sold arms to Iran, establishing contacts in the Iranian Defense Ministry.

Nahum Manbar initially sold Iran a small number of shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles.

Between 1992 and 1993, Nahum Manbar provided Iran with ingredients needed to make chemical weapons, equipment and expertise, and was paid $16 million by 1994 after providing elements of mustard gas and three types of nerve gas: Tabun, Sarin and Soman, and set up a plant in Poland to manufacture chemical weaponry for Iran.

Nahum Manbar obtained the raw materials necessary to make chemical weapons that he sold to Iran from China and Hungary.

Nahum Manbar provided Iran with information and know-how to produce mustard gas.

However, Nahum Manbar offered Israel information on military subjects, and offered to use the high-level links he had with the Iranians to reveal the fate of Ron Arad, exploiting Mossad's desperation for any information on his fate.

Nahum Manbar supplied the Mossad with a faked video and worthless leads.

Nahum Manbar's activities, some of which were conducted in Britain, drew the attention of MI6, which could not believe that an Israeli could be working so closely with Iran and concluded that Nahum Manbar was a Mossad agent trying to penetrate Iran's defense establishment.

In 1997, Deputy Attorney-General for Security Affairs Dvorah Chen concluded that she could prosecute Nahum Manbar for harming the security of the state and aiding the enemy in war against Israel.

On March 27,1997, Nahum Manbar arrived in Israel to watch Hapoel Jerusalem compete for the State Cup.

Nahum Manbar's detention was initially placed under a gag order, and was cleared for publication several weeks later.

Nahum Manbar's defense was based on the case that he did not act alone, and that Israeli businessmen were being allowed to sell weapons to Iran by the security authorities.

Nahum Manbar served his sentence at Nitzan Prison in Ramla, and later at HaSharon Prison at the Hadarim Interchange.

Nahum Manbar appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel but his appeal was denied on December 5,2000.

Ex-Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky pointed out that Nahum Manbar was given a small pool of lawyers to choose from and that the trial was conducted behind closed doors.

Nahum Manbar said Manbar had contacts in the Israeli security services and that several deals with Iran had been made in the past.

In 2003, while still in prison, Nahum Manbar was declared bankrupt, and appointed a trustee.