Former Mossad chief’s name linked to trial over child abductions in Germany

New and striking details are emerging in the kidnapping case of German businesswoman Christina Block, which is considered one of Germany’s most controversial cases in recent times.

In a notable development, the names of senior Israeli security figures have been linked to the case, including former heads of Shin Bet and Mossad.

During the trial, which reached its thirteenth day, the name Yaakov Perry, the former head of Israel’s domestic security service (Shin Bet), surfaced in the proceedings.

Court transcripts revealed that the father’s lawyer, Stefan Hansel, asked Christina Block whether she knew Perry and whether she had paid 7 million euros to an Israeli company he heads.

Block, the heiress to the well-known German steakhouse chain, invoked her right to remain silent in response to these sensitive questions.

In a more recent development, the name Dany Yatom, the former head of Mossad, has been linked to the case.

According to the testimony of Stefan Hansel, Block’s ex-husband, to the police, there was contact between the former head of Germany’s intelligence service (BND), August Hanning, and a company run by Yatom.

This detail was published in a report by the German site Bild, citing Hansel’s testimony in January 2024.

Yatom denied any involvement in an interview.

Yatom said he knows the former head of German intelligence, August Hanning, but stressed he has no connection whatsoever to the children’s abduction case.

The case centers on allegations that Christina Block paid money to former Israeli intelligence agents to abduct her children from Stefan Hansel’s home in Denmark.

It is suspected that a team that included Israelis helped transfer the children to Germany.

August Hanning, the former head of German intelligence, also denied any link to the case and filed a complaint with police against anyone who alleged his involvement.

He told Bild: “I had no contact with Perry at all, and I know nothing about a payment of 7 million euros.”

Yaakov Perry also issued a statement categorically denying “any connection or knowledge of this case.”

Perry added: “I was not and will not be a part of it.” His statement said the person alleged to have contacted him also denied it, warning that “the whole thing is false, and anyone who publishes it will be sued.”

These developments cast a shadow over the child abduction case and add to its complexity, as it now involves prominent intelligence figures from Israel and Germany, raising questions about the nature of the relationships and possible covert operations behind this controversial case.

German and Israeli circles are awaiting what the coming days will bring in this thorny case.