| Submit your comments on this article |
| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Authorities arrest six Arabs who stole, sold IDF soldiers' guns |
| 2008-09-26 |
| The police and the Shin Bet arrested five Palestinians and an Israeli Arab resident of Taibeh for allegedly stealing assault rifles from two Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Tel Aviv and then selling the guns in the West Bank. Authorities on Thursday afternoon lifted a media gag order on the details of the affair, according to which a Palestinian resident of the West Bank village of Nur el-Shams, Omar Shafai, admitted to investigators that he swiped the guns belonging to two IDF soldiers near the Haganah Bridge in Tel Aviv in two separate incidents. The first theft occurred in late January of this year, when Shafai assaulted a soldier who was standing near the bridge adjacent to the Ayalon Freeway. Shafai wielded a rock against the soldier's head and fled with his weapon. Shafai was arrested by authorities while attempting to sell the weapon in the West Bank. Investigators also learned that he assaulted a soldier who was walking along the Haganah Bridge in mid-July of this year. Shafai allegedly beat the soldier with an iron rod he had obtained beforehand. After the soldier regained consciousness, he noticed that his rifle had been stolen. Shafai subsequently came into contact with a weapons dealer in Qalqilyah, who then referred him to an Israeli Arab resident of Taibeh, Darwish Nasser, who purchased the rifle from Shafai. The two are believed to have met near the Geha junction in between Ramat Gan and Kiryat Ono. Shin Bet investigators learned that Shafai attempted to steal a number of other weapons from soldiers numerous times, without success. He will be tried in an IDF tribunal in the northern West Bank on charges of aggravated assault and illegal sale of arms. Darwish was indicted in Petah Tikva District Court on arms possession and arms selling. Indictments against the remaining suspects are likely to follow. |
| Posted by:Fred |