US Citizen and Journalist Released From Israeli Jail

Last updated on October 11th, 2024 at 04:22 pm

Israeli authorities have released U.S. citizen and journalist Jeremy Loffredo from jail, after detaining him earlier this week on suspicion he harmed national security by documenting the impact of the Oct. 1 Iranian missile barrage.

Prior to his arrest, Loffredo released a six-minute video, documenting his travels throughout Israel in an effort to identify the impact sites of ballistic missiles Iran fired at Israel on Oct. 1. The video covered apparent missile impact sites near the Nevatim Airbase in the Negev desert. Loffredo also examined reports of a missile impact near the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service in Tel Aviv.

The Grayzone, the publication for which Loffredo worked, announced his release on Oct. 11. According to the publication’s editor, Max Blumenthal, Loffredo is barred from leaving the country while his case remains before the Israeli court system.

Activist journalist Andrey X, who was traveling with Loffredo and other journalists at the time of the arrest, alleged he and the other journalists were stopped by Israeli authorities on Oct. 8. Andrey X said Israeli soldiers demanded the journalists turn over their phones and other electronic devices at gun point.

Andrey X alleged the Israeli authorities held the journalists by a roadside, handcuffed and blindfolded and in the hot sun for several hours before taking them to a military base. He further alleged Israeli soldiers told a the female Israeli photographer with the group that she should have been raped by Hamas. He alleged the Israeli authorities made other threats during the ordeal, and initially denied them access to food, water, and legal representation for some time.

FreeBase News has repeatedly reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment regarding Loffredo’s arrest, but has received no response.