Nuclear whistleblower in trouble with law again

Vanunu was freed from an Israeli prison last April after completing an 18-year sentence for revealing secrets of Israel's atomic program to The Sunday Times newspaper in London.

Under the terms of his release, the former technician at the Israeli nuclear facility in the Negev desert town of Dimona was barred from leaving Israeli territory and contacting foreigners. The restrictions were to be in force for a year.

The justice ministry said Vanunu was being indicted for 21 cases of violating the release restrictions and one instance of attempting to leave Israel.

On numerous occasions, Vanunu has tested the limits of his release by granting interviews to foreign media. He also was stopped by Israeli police on Christmas Eve while attempting to attend mass in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, outside his permitted area of travel.

Vanunu's disclosures on the Dimona reactor led experts to conclude Israel has the world's sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons.