News Desk :
Israel has detained American Grayzone journalist Jeremy Loffredo while he was on assignment in Israel.
According to social media posts, Loffredo was detained on Tuesday along with four other journalists who were “beaten, blindfolded, and taken to an Israeli military base.” They also had their phones confiscated.
Loffredo remains in custody, while the others, including Andrey X, were released 11 hours later.
Loffredo’s last video posted on X
reported the damage caused by the Iranian missile strikes on Israel’s military sites on 1 October. Social media users believe this is the reason for his detention as no local news organisations have covered the damage from the attack.
Meanwhile Palestine Chronicle reported, “Today I was beaten, kidnapped, blindfolded and taken to a military base by the Israeli Occupation Forces, together with 4 other journalists,” Andrey X, a Russian journalist posted on X on Wednesday.
“Two of us were held for 11 hours without charges, my phone was confiscated (stolen), and one of us is still in custody,” he added.
According to the Israeli YNet news, 28-year-old Loffredo a reporter for US-based The Grayzone News “was arrested by police on suspicion of endangering national security after reporting on where missiles landed in the attack launched by Iran earlier this month including in the IDF’s Nevatim Air Base and an intelligence base in central Israel.”
‘Diplomatic Incident’
The paper claimed that Loffredo said, “That attacks on Gaza were launched from the Nevatim base and said that government’s private jet used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was located there.”
“The charges against him include aiding the enemy during wartime and providing information to the enemy,” the report added.
His arrest “has raised concerns of a potential diplomatic incident between Israel and the U.S. because of his status as a foreign journalist.”
US embassy representatives attended “a hearing on the request of the police to extend his detention.”
No Attempt to ‘Hide Anything’ The paper quotes Loffredo’s attorney as saying that he “published the information openly and fully, without attempting to hide anything.
If this information constitutes aiding the enemy, many other journalists in Israel, including Israeli reporters, should also be arrested.”
“A spy would not have acted so publicly and transparently,” Leah Tsemel added.
Max Blumenthal, the editor of the Grayzone, posted on X: “I’ve just learned that @loffredojeremy was among the journalists arrested by the Israeli military and is still in jail. His phone has been confiscated. That is all I’m able to say for now.”
Fellow Grayzone journalist, Aaron Maté, said “Israel is detaining and prosecuting an American journalist for doing journalism.”
“Will his media colleagues defend him?” he asked on X.
Loffredo’s arrest reportedly follows his report published by The Grayzone on the extensive damage to Israeli military bases struck by Iran in its ballistic missile attack on October 1.
According to a Press TV report, Loffredo, who is based in New York City, traveled to Israel to document “several impact sites that had not been reported by Israeli authorities, including areas near the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv.”