by Uzi Eilam
“I’ve missed you, Gerald!” said Gideon, giving his friend a hug. “It’s only been a few hours, but it feels like an eternity!”
“I feel the same way. But it seems we haven’t yet reached the point where we can get some real rest,” said Deutsch, looking at Professor Bernard.
“No, we haven’t, my friends. Not yet. Please, have a seat,” said Bernard, sitting down. “I wanted to fill you in on information we discovered during Madame de Saint-Germaine’s interrogation, as well as another important development. I was also hoping, Gideon, that you would be able to share some information about General Bar-Oz after his initial interrogation at your embassy.”
“Certainly. I’d be happy to present everything we know,” Gideon said.
“Thanks, Gideon. I’ll begin by reviewing what we learned from Dominique’s interrogation. Her decision to switch sides and to pass sensitive classified information from the task force to the Iranians appears to have been motivated by a combination of factors. Money was the most important, despite the affluence of the de Saint-Germaine family. It’s possible that she was also motivated by a sense of injustice caused by the system within the prime minister’s office, which greatly limited her chances of promotion.”
“That sounds strange to me,” Gideon interjected, trying to ignore his own guilt stemming from his relationship with Dominique. “Dominique held a senior position within your national security council. Her very assignment to this task force was a testament to the immense trust the French government placed in her.”
“I suppose we’ll never truly know what motivates people to betray their country,” Bernard said thoughtfully, after considering Gideon’s comment for a few moments. “In any event, during the interrogation, we also took note of a deep personal grudge against her direct supervisor. She admitted that she was the one who had recruited General Bar-Oz. She appears to know the job well.”
“Gideon,” interjected Deutsch, “I still can’t understand what motivated General Bar-Oz, the fearless Israeli combat soldier and commander, to switch sides and aid your most bitter enemy. When I observed Dominique’s interrogation at Professor Bernard’s request, I heard her describe how she accepted Bar-Oz’s advances while they were in Zürich. She explained how she used their intimate moments together to get him talking and to identify his weak points, namely his uncontrollable desire for money. But despite this Achilles heel, it still seems to me that he was too easy to recruit.”
“This troubles me too,” Bernard said. “Gideon, perhaps you could shed some light on this subject and, at the same time, update us on the findings of Bar-Oz’s interrogation. I know that you’ve only conducted an initial interrogation here in your embassy and that the bulk of information will certainly be acquired through interrogations in Israel. Still, anything you can share would be helpful.”
“At the beginning of the interrogation, Haim tried to deny the whole affair. This required us to use the cache of information that had been assembled by Dan, who had listened to all of Haim’s conversations and transcribed them. The interrogators who had been rushed over from Israel were a great help during the initial interrogation. I don’t know if I would have been able to break him alone. They are true professionals. Thanks to them, we know that his relationship with the Iranians began with Madame de Saint-Germaine’s encouragement. We also learned about the immense sums of money the Iranians used to line his pockets. In the background, there were also fragments of information about someone else, apparently an Iranian, who served as a liaison to Dominique’s and Haim’s handlers in Iran.”
“Thanks, Gideon. That’s just where I thought we could be productive this morning. I suggest we talk about how to continue exposing the other parts of the network. Dan, based on the material you’ve gathered, do you have any suggestions?”
“Give me a moment, Professor Bernard,” replied Dan as he opened his backpack, which was full of papers, and started shuffling through them. “Here. These are the transcriptions of the phone and email conversations between the two Iranians who met with General Jamshidi in the safe house on Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie in the 4th Arrondissement. As we know, the senior one is Farid Madani, and the other is Arash Jawad, Jamshidi’s man in Germany. Their general phone calls and emails appear to be innocent enough.”
“Have you been able to link them to a third person here in France?” asked Gideon.
“No. I haven’t seen communication between Madani and other Iranians in Paris, but I have been able to gather a plethora of information by decoding encrypted communications between these two over the past few weeks.”
“Remember everyone, we know these two from the spy ring in California,” Gideon said.
“They’re good,” added Deutsch. “And, unfortunately, they’re extremely experienced in evasion.”
“In my opinion, Professor Bernard,” continued Gideon, “we need to get our hands on those two. I have no doubt that taking them down would go a long way to stopping Iranian defense procurement in Europe.”
“That would be problematic,” said Bernard, chilling Gideon’s enthusiasm. “As you may or may not be aware, both men enjoy diplomatic status. One is the scientific attaché here in Paris, and the other is an attaché at the Iranian embassy in Berlin.”
“Isn’t what I’ve assembled regarding the true significance of the encrypted conversations enough to have their immunity lifted?” asked Dan.
“In my opinion,” Gideon said, “the information that Dan has collected will constitute a solid foundation for detaining them for questioning and then expelling them from the country. The question is how to go about finding them. Do you have any ideas?” he asked Dan. Bernard and Deutsch also stared at Dan now, as the bespectacled young Israel concentrated silently on finding a solution.
“I think I can get Dr. Jawad to come to Paris for a meeting,” said Dan suddenly.
“And just how do you plan on doing that?” asked Bernard, after a long silence during which the three men looked at one another with visible skepticism.
“The same way I got him to take the new glasses from Deutsche Optics and to have Madani get them to Jamshidi in Tehran.”
“Do you mean the encrypted message that Jawad received, ostensibly from the general, that got him to contact the German company?” asked Bernard.
“Exactly. But this time, I’ll try to send a message, via the Iranian network, to both of them.”
“That’s brilliant, Dan!” cried Bernard. “Can we also determine the meeting place?”
“Certainly,” replied Dan.
“Excellent. Let’s bring them to the safe house on Rue Fresnel,” suggested Bernard. “Perhaps the tunnel from there to the embassy will calm their nerves.” Gideon and Deutsch nodded.
“Tell me, Bernard,” Gideon began. “What do you think is the current condition of the Quds Force apparatus here in Paris? Do you think there are any more of them running around free? Do we still need to take precautionary measures?”
We’ve arrested most of their team. All except their leader, who managed to escape. But we’re still not certain that the overall threat has been defused. In short, gentlemen, stay vigilant and keep your eyes open. There will be time enough to relax once our work is done.”
***
It took Dan a few hours of work in the communications room in the Defense Ministry Delegation building to get things organized. Once he did, he phoned Professor Bernard. “Dr. Jawad will be arriving in Paris this afternoon. They set a meeting at the apartment on Rue Fresnel.”
“Excellent work.” Bernard immediately updated Deutsch, Gideon, and the commander of the gendarmerie’s special unit.
“I intend to place men in the apartment next door to the safe house on Rue Fresnel,” the unit commander informed him. “Is there still a passage connecting the sewer system to the Iranian tunnel?”
“Yes,” said Bernard. “Its entry point has b
een well camouflaged, but it’s still easy to enter it from the sewers.”
A tense silence settled over Professor Bernard’s office as the time for the meeting between the two Iranians approached. Gideon, Deutsch, the director of counterespionage, and the commander of the gendarmerie waited with Bernard in anxious anticipation. Dan sat in the communications room, accompanied by the delegation’s director of security. The audio and visual surveillance system was focused on the safe house, enabling Dan to observe everything captured by the cameras and hear everything going on in the apartment without leaving his seat. Something in the Iranians’ behavior seemed suspicious to Dan. Had they discovered the trap? Were they planning to run?
“They’re leaving the apartment!” Dan said quickly over the open line from the communications room to Bernard’s office. “They’ve decided to make a break for it!”
“Where to, Dan?! Are you following them?!”
“The tunnel!” cried Dan. “They’re heading for the tunnel!”
The gendarmerie commander immediately updated his force, and the team that had been waiting at the entry point to the Iranian tunnel broke through the camouflaged opening. Another team entered the tunnel, through the basement on Rue Fresnel, in pursuit of the two Iranians.
Madani and Jawad had no way to escape from the gendarmerie soldiers closing in on them from both sides, and the tense quiet that had previously gripped Bernard’s office quickly gave way to cheers, applause, and pats on the back.
“Take the two Iranians directly to your interrogation facility,” Bernard instructed the gendarmerie commander. “And don’t forget—they need to be separated immediately and interrogated individually. The gendarmerie is responsible for the interrogation, but we need to be informed as soon as possible about any other members of the Iranian network that are still active.”
“We’ll take care of it, Professor Bernard,” promised the gendarmerie commander before trotting briskly out of the office followed by the director of the Counterespionage Division.
Chapter 45
Silence pervaded the office of the Supreme Leader, in which the country’s most powerful figure sat, stunned, between the director of the president’s office and General Ja’afari. He had just been informed of the devastating accident that had occurred in the president’s office, taking the lives of both the president and General Jamshidi.
“What exactly happened, Ali Mustafa?” the Supreme Leader asked in a trembling voice. “Tell me everything. Leave nothing out.”
“About half an hour ago, the director of the president’s office phoned me in hysteria,” explained Ja’afari. “He said that something catastrophic had happened and that I should come to the office immediately. When I arrived, I found General Jamshidi and the president lying on the floor, showing no signs of life. The office manager said that he had called the president’s personal physician and that he would be arriving any moment. I know that a work meeting had been scheduled for Jamshidi with the president. The tragedy occurred when they were alone in the president’s office.”
“You’re avoiding the issue, Ali Mustafa Ja’afari!” the Supreme Leader shouted furiously. “What happened to them?!”
“I’m getting to it, sir,” said Ja’afari, trying to calm the Supreme Leader. “With your permission, I’ll continue.”
“You would be wise to get to the point already.”
“The president’s physician showed up moments later. He examined the bodies and pronounced them dead. According to his report, General Jamshidi had sustained severe injuries to both sides of his head.”
“And the president?”
“The president suffered injuries to the face, Your Holiness,” Ja’afari stammered. “The heads of both men were crushed, and pools of blood had formed on the floor near each of them. It was not an easy sight to see.” Ja’afari
“But what caused the injuries? Does the doctor know?”
“We’ll have a better idea when we receive the results of the autopsy. The Guardians’ forensics unit has been ordered to get to work, and the unit’s commander will be present during the autopsy, along with its best team.” Ja’afari sounded somewhat more confident now.
“Make sure that none of this gets out to anyone except those directly involved in the investigation,” the Supreme Leader ordered. “Ali Mustafa, I am holding you personally responsible for making sure that this instruction is meticulously adhered to. How long will it take to complete the autopsy?”
“I was told that we’ll be able to see the report within an hour or two.”
“If that’s the case,” the Supreme Leader said to his office director, “in addition to General Ja’afari, I’d like to meet with the president’s physicians, the director of the forensics unit, Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani, and Dr. Fakari, the deputy of General Jamshidi, may Allah avenge his blood.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
What did he want with that rebellious wild man Soleimani? The thought filled General Ja’afari with a sense of unease. Now that General Jamshidi, his principal rival, had been taken out of the picture, was the Supreme Leader building up someone new? What were his intentions? Did he always rule using the method of divide and conquer?
***
All the lights in the residence of the Supreme Leader were on, which was unusual, and a flow of people could be seen moving in and out of the modest house. The security details belonging to the Guardians’ elite unit, positioned at every entrance, emanated a distinct edginess. All those attending the meeting were already seated in the conference room, which was filled beyond capacity. No one uttered a word, and all eyes were riveted to the door through which the Supreme Leader would soon enter. When the door finally opened, everyone in the room stood and waited as the leader made his way slowly to the chair at the apex of the arc of seats.
“What do the families know?” asked the leader in a soft voice.
“The families, Your Holiness, have been informed that an accident occurred in the president’s office. They don’t know the details,” explained General Ja’afari. “My human resources people have been instructed to offer support to the families. They have been by their sides from the moment they were informed of the tragedy.”
“That is good,” the leader said.
“With your permission, Your Holiness, the Guardians’ forensics unit will present us with a report on the autopsy findings and the results of the tests that have been conducted so far.” The Supreme Leader nodded.
“The injuries were only to the head, Your Holiness,” the chief forensic officer began. “We found severe injuries around General Jamshidi’s temples and covering the face of the president. They appear to be the result of explosive devices.” The forensics expert’s words echoed throughout the room, leaving those in attendance speechless. “Our assessment,” he continued, “is that, at first, only one side of the general’s glasses exploded, shattering his skull, and that when the president bent down over the general to see what had happened to him, the other side of the glasses exploded, causing the lethal injuries to the president’s face.”
“But how is that possible?! How could such powerful explosives have been brought into the president’s office?!” The Supreme Leader was shouting now, and getting angrier by the minute.
“In the fragments of the glasses, our lab tests found tiny transmission devices. The glasses were produced by Deutsche Optics, a German company. According to our inquiries, General Jamshidi was having vision problems and needed three pairs of special glasses for everyday use. The German company developed vision systems based on advanced technology.” The forensics unit commander stopped speaking and looked over at General Ja’afari.
“Deutsche Optics has been a reliable supplier of many important products in recent years,” Ja’afari explained. “Dr. Fakari, from Jamshidi’s agency, can attest to the company’s contribution to our warheads, which has enabl
ed us to reach the point we’re at today. They’ve also been helpful in the nuclear realm.”
“That’s certainly the case,” Dr. Fakari interjected without missing a beat. “They’ve supplied us with sensors for the reactor’s control system, as well as with optic devices for our advanced missiles’ command system.”
“A few weeks ago,” the commander of the forensics unit continued, “General Jamshidi received a new pair of glasses, which was sent to him from our embassy in Paris. We found another pair just like it at the general’s home, and our electronics department is in the process of examining them.”
“Is that all we know?” the Supreme Leader asked Ja’afari tersely.
“Yes, Your Holiness. But the investigation is still underway. We won’t let up until we find all the answers, and we’ll continue considering all possibilities.”
“From this point on, I would like General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, to direct the investigations,” declared the Supreme Leader, glancing first at Ja’afari and then at Soleimani. “We still need to decide on the wording of a public announcement and when it should be released,” he added, turning his eyes toward his media advisor.
“We have no way of ensuring that the news won’t be leaked,” the advisor cautioned. “Many people are already privy to these events. I believe it would be best to release a statement as soon as possible, preferably tonight.”
“On the contrary!” interrupted General Soleimani. “Why rush things? We still don’t have enough information, which will make it impossible to compose an effective announcement. I suggest we wait until we’re certain of the details of what appears to have been a sophisticated assassination. We need to quickly establish the nature of the explosive material used, as this could give us an indication of how to focus the rest of the investigation.”