Man indicted for looting in North

Tal Ben Sheetrit, 22, broke into homes of residents who left due to crisis.

Tal Ben Sheetrit, 22, from the town of Harish in Wadi Ara, was indicted in the Nazareth Magistrate's Court Thursday on charges of breaking into houses in Kiryat Shmona. Ben Sheetrit was caught looting the homes of residents who had left the city because of the current security situation in the North. The state prosecutor in the North requested an extension of Ben Sheetrit's remand until the end of the proceedings. Ben Sheetrit was suspected of driving to Kiryat Shmona with the intention of burglarizing houses, and he was equipped with the appropriate tools. According to the charges, he broke into two homes, stealing jewelry, cheques, video cameras, and other valuables, and was caught by police while trying to break into a third. "The actions of the accused show an ingrained lack of conscience and true moral failure," the state prosecutor's request read, according to Ma'ariv's Web site. "A person who comes from a distance and acts in a repulsive manner toward innocent citizens who were forced to abandon their homes for fear of their lives, demonstrates that he cannot be relied upon to honor any alternative forms of detention." The prosecution also addressed other incidents of looting that have occurred recently against northern residents who left their homes. "The prosecution takes very seriously the exploitation of northern residents in these times, and will adopt all legal measures at its disposal to condemn these acts and to ensure that they will not be repeated," it said.