Bedouin criminals posing as IDF soldiers robbed a jewelry store in Ad-Dahariya in the West Bank's Hebron Governate, stealing 4 kilograms of gold, jewelry, and more than NIS 100,000 in cash, the police reported on Monday
The group was fully equipped with a rifle, a pistol, ammunition, airsoft weapons, and full tactical uniforms, according to the report. A further investigation revealed that several vehicles were also used, one of them bearing a fake license plate.
"During the robbery, the suspects aimed their weapons at the employees, handcuffed them, blindfolded them, assaulted them violently, and caused them injuries," the police spokesperson said in a statement.
Suspects abducted victim, opened fire on vehicle
While fleeing, the defendants abducted one of the victims into their vehicle, later opening fire and causing extensive damage to one of the cars pursuing them.
According to the report, some of the suspects were arrested following a pursuit by officers from the Hebron police station and Border Police forces in Judea and Samaria, while others were apprehended as part of a joint investigation conducted in cooperation with the Gidonim Unit of Lahav 433 and the District Police Coordination Unit in the Judea and Samaria District.
The suspects were later extradited, and an indictment was filed against them.
Illegal weapons seized in Bedouin town, murder suspects arrested
On Thursday, police seized two handguns, an explosive device, ammunition, and magazines from a school compound in the Bedouin town of Lakiya in southern Israel during an enforcement operation.
Police also announced on Friday that three suspects were arrested for the murder of a man in a Bedouin village on Thursday.
These finds follow recent enforcement waves across the Negev targeting smuggling routes, arms caches, and local criminal networks that have resulted in around 200 confiscations of illegal weapons and 200 arrests of suspects over the last couple of weeks.
The operation, called "On Target," has been active since January, and encompasses a series of focused raids on criminal bodies within the Arab community.
The launch of the crackdown came amidst a major uptick in crime in the nation’s Arab sector.
Officers will continue proactive activity against illegal weapon possession, focusing primarily on cases where arms are hidden in schools and other places that may pose an immediate danger to the public, stated the police.