Fifteen years after a US military intelligence analyst was arrested in Washington and jailed for life for spying for Israel, the US military authorities are searching for another intelligence officer, who has gone AWOL from his base in Texas, and whom Israeli officials confirmed yesterday is almost certainly hiding out in Israel.
Like Jonathan Pollard, the convicted US spy, the missing man, Lieut-Col Jeremiah Mattysse, is said to have become a passionate supporter of Israel and, having access to top intelligence material, to be well placed to assist the Jewish state. Unlike Mr Pollard, whose case heavily clouded the US-Israeli intelligence relationship, Mr Mattysse (49) has made it onto Israeli territory: Mr Pollard was arrested when Israeli officials prevented him from seeking refuge at their embassy in Washington; Mr Mattysse apparently flew to Israel in the past two weeks, having been declared AWOL on August 8th.
A former commander of the US army's Reserve Intelligence Support Centre, which trains reservists in intelligence work, the fugitive reportedly brought four books full of intelligence material with him to Israel, and deposited the contents in various bank safes. However, Ms Ricky Nir, an Israeli woman who describes herself as Mr Mattysse's girlfriend, said he had not been spying for Israel.
Israeli and US sources last night said they thought he had probably fled his base because of personal problems - his wife has filed for divorce - but that because of his access to intelligence material the case could yet become highly sensitive. So far, he has only been charged with desertion and absence without leave.
Ms Nir says that he left her home in northern Israel on Friday, and claims he is now in Syria - having been smuggled across the border by low-level officers in the Israeli Shin Bet secret service who sympathised with him. Why Syria, Israel's most hostile neighbour? Because, she said, other neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan had warmer relations with the US.