Zygier 'had no contact with ASIO' The headstone of Ben Zygier is photographed in the Chevra Kadisha Jewish Cemetery in Melbourne. ISRAEL Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office denied that Mossad agent Ben Zygier had any contact with Australia's security services. "Following recent publications, the prime minister's office stresses that (the late) Mr. Zygier had no contact with the Australian security services and organisations," the office said a statement, in the first mention of Zygier's name by Israel. The office, which is in charge of Israel's Mossad spy agency, issued the statement after a court said an unnamed inmate committed suicide in an Israeli prison in 2010. Australia's national broadcaster the ABC, which broke the story last week, said Zygier was arrested after giving Australian intelligence officials a comprehensive account of a number of Mossad operations. The Israeli statement also stressed that "between Israel and all its organisations and Australia and the Australian security organisations there is excellent cooperation, full coordination and full transparency in dealing with issues at hand." IT came as an Israeli court revealed how Zygier died in prison. This publication has chosen not to reveal the method used but it was consistent with a suicide. Israel went to extreme lengths to cover up the story of Prisoner X and imposed a strict gag order on all details of the case, after Australian media last week broke the story. The outcome of the inquest on the anonymous detainee's death was released last week, and found that he had committed suicide, without detailing how. Following a petition to loosen the gag order, which the state prosecutor's office supported, the court released parts of the investigative report, which quotes the coroner as saying the death occurred on December 15, 2010. The coroner said there "were also light abrasions on his left forearm caused by a dry blow that didn't contribute to the death." A later report by the coroner added that "a small quantity of a sedative was found in (his) blood, not alcohol or drugs," without it changing his opinion as to the cause of death. The protocol quotes the inquest as saying the prison service could be guilty of "negligence in causing the deceased's death." Israeli newspaper Maariv said that an examination of the logbooks of Ayalon prison's control room showed that the guards only looked at footage from his cell every "20 to 25 minutes" because he was not classed as a prisoner with suicidal tendencies. "Any suicide is unfortunate but if someone is determined to take his own life, there are chances he will ultimately succeed," said Yitzhak Aharonovitch, outgoing Internal Security Minister. He also confirmed that the post mortem which rendered a verdict of suicide could be released "soon" - but did not say whether the report would be published in full or with parts redacted for security reasons. On Sunday, the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defence announced it would open an "intensive" inquiry into all aspects of Zygier's arrest and death. Mr Aharonovitch insisted there were no more anonymous prisoners being held incognito. "There are no more anonymous prisoners in Israel," he said. "There is adequate supervision (within the prison system) and the law is upheld, but there is also great concern for state security which must sometimes take covert actions to protect itself," he told public radio. For help with emotional difficulties, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au For help with depression, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or at www.beyondblue.org.au The SANE Helpline is 1800 18 SANE (7263) or at www.sane.org