Egyptian spy: Syrian counterpart paid 1.5 million dollars by Israel

An Egyptian charged with spying for Israel told authorities that his Syrian counterpart was paid 1.5 million dollars to provide Israel with information on Syrian nuclear activities, Egyptian media reported Wednesday.

The Syrian intelligence official, named as Saleh Al-Nijm, provided Israel with information on the whereabouts of an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor which probably led to the bombing of the facility in 2007, according to Egyptian state media reports, DPA reported.

According to the EgyNews website, Tareq Abdelrazeq told authorities that he met with al-Nijm several times in Damascus and that they collaborated on providing information to Israel's intelligence agency, Mossad.

For his part, Abdelrazeq allegedly received 37,000 dollars from Israel in payment for his activities, Egyptian officials said.

Syria denies that the bombed structure was a nuclear reactor. Meanwhile, Israel has not officially said it was behind the 2007 attack, but a US government cable released by WikiLeaks earlier this month named Israel as responsible.

The cable, written in 2008 by then secretary of state Condoleeza Rice, stated that "on September 6, 2007, Israel destroyed the nuclear reactor built by Syria secretly."

Abdelrazeq also allegedly told prosecutors that no other Egyptians had collaborated with him in providing Israel information.

Egyptian authorities announced the arrest of Abdelrazeq earlier this month, accusing him of spying for Israel and attempting to recruit spies in Syria and Lebanon for Mossad.

Egypt's Emergency State Security court is expected to hear the case on January 15.

The prosecutor's office also accused two Israelis of working alongside Abdelrazeq and forming a spy ring in Egypt. The prosecutor did not name the suspects, only saying they were "fugitives" and had not yet been arrested.