An Israeli suspect affiliated with a major organized crime group was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday due to suspicions he was connected to a recent shooting spree targeting homes in northern Tel Aviv.
The suspect was detained as soon as he landed in Israel by officers from the International Crime Investigations Unit in Lahav 433, Israel Police's national crime unit.
The Israeli's detention joins four other arrests made by police in connection to the Tel Aviv shooting incidents. The highest-profile arrest was made on Wednesday morning when an unnamed Israeli businessman was arrested for extortion by threats in relation to the shootings.
Earlier in January, a suspect opened fire at a vehicle parked next to a home in the upmarket neighborhood of Tzahala. As per a police report, the targeted home was owned by a known Israeli real-estate developer who previously served as a state witness in an unspecified case.
No one was injured in the incident.
Israel Police believe businessman ordered shootings in Tel Aviv
Police's preliminary suspicion was that the businessman issued the order to carry out the recent targeting of Tel Aviv homes, according to reports.
The suspect who was arrested upon his return to Israel was the subject of an undercover investigation by the International Crime Investigations Unit prior to his arrest at Ben-Gurion Airport.
The arrests of all five suspects in the case were extended to next week by a court.