Israeli police had held Loffredo, an independent journalist from New York, on suspicion of assisting an enemy in war, a serious allegation that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or death, Tsemel said. The allegations stem from his reporting for American media outlet The Grayzone, which showed the locations of several Iranian missiles launched at military targets inside Israel earlier this month, including footage near Nevatim, an Israeli air base, and the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv, Tsemel said. Though the same targets were featured in broadcasts by other media outlets, Israeli authorities tried to argued that Loffredo’s reporting allowed Iran to study future targets.
Loffredo’s detainment, which drew little attention from Western media, comes amid an unprecedented year of Israel targeting journalists who are covering its war in Gaza. At least 126 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. At least five of those journalists were specifically targeted by Israel for their work, CPJ said, as it investigates the killing of 10 others. And in the West Bank, CPJ documented 69 journalist arrests during the war, with 43 remaining in Israeli custody. Last month, an Israeli lawmaker requested Israeli police charge the head of human rights group B’Tselem, Yuli Novak, with the same charge aimed at Loffredo, after Novak provided an expert review before the United Nations Security Council.
Israeli judges overseeing Loffredo’s case had been skeptical of arguments to keep him jailed, Tsemel said. When police had requested a seven-day detention from the court, a judge ordered a one-day detention. Then, on Thursday, a separate judge had ordered his release, Tsemel said. An Israeli journalist with Ynet News had testified that Loffredo’s reporting did not violate the government’s censor and pointed to other similar reports. But authorities were able to file a last-minute appeal before court had closed, keeping Loffredo in custody.
During a hearing on Friday before a district court judge over the appeal, a judge ordered Loffredo’s release, after citing a lack of evidence and that he doesn’t pose a threat, Tsemel said.