Israeli Mall Kiosk Surveillance Operations in the United States
The Bottom Line: Between 2000-2002, Israeli intelligence operatives posing as art students and toy vendors infiltrated shopping malls across America, selling wind-up helicopters called "Zoomcopters" and toy cars called "Puzzlecars" as cover for extensive surveillance operations targeting U.S. government facilities, military personnel, and law enforcement agencies. This operation, involving over 200 Israeli nationals, was documented in classified DEA and FBI reports before being systematically covered up following media exposure.
Primary Products: Wind-up toy helicopters ("Zoomcopters") and toy cars ("Puzzlecars")
Venues: Shopping mall kiosks nationwide
Sales Strategy: Aggressive targeting of customers, often near military bases
Pricing: Overpriced items designed to generate quick cash
Personnel: Recent Israeli military veterans, many with intelligence backgrounds
Organization: Teams of 8-10 with designated leaders
Geographic Spread: Coast-to-coast operation from Seattle to New York
Duration: Multi-year operation spanning 2000-2002
Primary Targets: DEA facilities and personnel
Secondary Targets: FBI offices, military bases, federal buildings
Personal Targeting: Home addresses of federal employees
Documentation: Building layouts, security systems, personnel information
Classification: Originally Internal Use Only, leaked March 2002
Length: 61 pages of detailed field reports
"In January, 2001, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Office of Security Programs (IS), began to receive reports of Israeli art students attempting to penetrate several DEA Field Offices in the continental United States. Additionally, there have been reports of Israeli art students visiting the homes of numerous DEA employees."
"The nature of the individuals' conduct, combined with intelligence information and historical information regarding past incidents involving Israeli Organized Crime, leads IS to believe the incidents may well be an organized intelligence gathering activity."
"These incidents have occurred since at least the beginning of 2000, and have continued to the present. The number of reported incidents increased in November/December 2000, and has continued to date."
Source: DEA Internal Report, leaked March 2002
"Numerous classified documents obtained by Fox News indicate that even prior to Sept. 11, as many as 140 other Israelis had been detained or arrested in a secretive and sprawling investigation into suspected espionage by Israelis in the United States."
"Investigators from numerous government agencies are part of a working group that has been compiling evidence in the case since the mid-1990s. These documents detail hundreds of incidents in cities and towns across the country that investigators say quote 'may well be an organized intelligence-gathering activity.'"
"Since September 11, more than 60 Israelis have been arrested or detained, either under the new patriot anti-terrorist law, or for immigration violations. A handful of active Israeli military were among those detained, according to investigators, who say some of the detainees also failed polygraph questions when asked about alleged surveillance activities against and in the United States."
"There is no indication that the Israelis were involved in the 9/11 attacks, but investigators suspect that the Israelis may have gathered intelligence about the attacks in advance, and not shared it. A highly placed investigator said there are 'tie-ins'."
Source: Carl Cameron, Fox News Special Report, December 11-14, 2001
The DEA report revealed concerning connections between the Israeli surveillance operation and drug trafficking:
"DEA Orlando has developed the first drug nexus to this group. Telephone numbers obtained from an Israeli Art Student encountered at the Orlando D.O. [District Office] have been linked to several ongoing DEA MDMA (Ecstasy) investigations in Florida, California, Texas and New York."
Source: DEA Intelligence Analysis, Multiple Field Offices
Location: IMAX Theater Complex, Shepherd of the Hills Expressway
Front Company: ITEC Attractions, Inc.
Operation: Israeli spy operation embedded within entertainment complex
"Court documents obtained by SHAZER EVERQUAR reveal that a crime syndicate has been facilitating the infiltration of Israeli spies into the United States. A signed confession discloses that Jewish supremacist TOM J CARLSON of Springfield, Missouri is the owner of an enterprise which operated as a front for agents of the Israeli Mossad."
Investigation Result: Dozens of suspected Israeli espionage agents detained at American mall kiosks selling Zoom Copter toys
Source: Missouri 39th Circuit Court documents, Branson West investigation
Date: February 2005
Arrested: 11 Israelis selling toy helicopters in malls
Detention: Held for three weeks on terrorism investigation concerns
FBI Statement: Agent confirmed bureau was checking whether mall workers might be spies
Legal Defense: Attorney David Leopold: "I laughed it off and I still laugh it off. The whole thing was goofy."
Source: Associated Press reporting, Ohio immigration court records
"This four-part series on Israeli spying in the United States is pretty shocking. It originally aired on Fox News in December 2001. The videos remained on the Fox News web site for just a couple of days after the fourth installment before being taken down without comment -- in other words, being censored."
Pro-Israel lobbying groups launched coordinated attack on Fox News:
"In a December interview with Salon, CAMERA's associate director, Alex Safian, said that several 'Jewish/Israeli groups' were having 'conversations' with representatives of Fox News regarding Cameron's piece."
Sources: Internet Archive, Salon.com investigation, CAMERA statements
🚨 CENSORSHIP ALERT 🚨
Fox News, despite being a major news organization, completely removed all evidence of this investigation from their archives after pressure from pro-Israel lobbying groups. This represents one of the most significant acts of media censorship in modern American journalism.
Justice Department spokeswoman Susan Dryden: "The agency does not have information to support these accounts of Israeli students possibly committing espionage."
Senior FBI official (anonymous): "The bureau also has investigated and is satisfied that the young people were not involved in espionage or intelligence gathering."
"According to Jane's Intelligence Digest, US officials admitted to reporters that the entire investigation had become 'too hot to handle', but declined to give further details."
"In 2002 FBI officials confirmed that the Israelis were 'running a major eavesdropping operation that had penetrated into the highest echelons of the US administration'."
Sources: Jane's Intelligence Digest, Multiple FBI field reports
The Cameron investigation revealed sophisticated telecommunications penetration:
"American terrorism investigators fear certain suspects in the September 11 attacks may have managed to stay ahead of them, by knowing who and when investigators are calling on the telephone; information provided by an Israeli-owned (and IDF funded) telephone company."
"The wiretapping capability that is permanently built into your telephone is built, installed, and maintained by yet another Israeli owned company and that this equipment is suspected of having a 'back door' which allows the Mossad to use the same equipment to wiretap any telephone in America by remote control."
Source: Carl Cameron investigation, classified intelligence assessments
Modern Israeli mall operations have adapted while maintaining core intelligence gathering capabilities:
Sources: Department of Justice indictments, Times of Israel reporting
The Zoomcopters scandal represents one of the largest foreign intelligence operations ever documented on American soil, involving systematic surveillance of U.S. government facilities and personnel under commercial cover. The subsequent cover-up and media censorship demonstrate the extent of Israeli influence over American media and government institutions.
The operation's exposure and suppression reveals the challenges faced by American democracy when confronting uncomfortable truths about allied intelligence activities within U.S. borders.