13 arrested in Israeli defense firm for corruption

By Kaamil Ahmed

JERUSALEM

Israeli police on Wednesday arrested 13 people suspected of corruption at Israel's largest state-owned company for military and aerospace technology.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the months-long undercover investigation into Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) by police and the tax authority looked at various levels of the company's hierarchy as well as private companies who worked with it.

"The suspicions include fraud, money laundering, breach of trust," Rosenfeld said in a statement.

Israeli news website Times of Israel reported that a former senior military officer was one of those arrested.

IAI has a major role in producing military technology for Israel, claiming on its website that it aims to lead in satellite and space technology, missile systems, drones, radar systems and other aerospace technologies.

The company was set up in 1953 to support the Israeli Air Force by upgrading fighter jets and providing missile systems to the military.