By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A Duchifat battalion soldier had his weapon confiscated and will be court-martialed after he aimed his loaded weapon at a Channel 2 television crew, threatened them and damaged their equipment near Beit El on Sunday.
OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh has ordered an investigation into the matter and demanded that the soldier's unit commander be temporarily suspended until the completion of the probe.
The incident occurred when the television crew, after coordinating with the IDF Spokesman's Office, started to film an IDF base in the vicinity of Beit El.
The soldier, who sat in a jeep, approached the crew and according to the army spoke to the journalists in an unbecoming manner. He then aimed his loaded weapon at them, threatened them and damaged one of the cameras.
Describing the incident as serious, the army said that following the incident, both the company and battalion commander apologized to the film crew.
The soldier was confined to his base and will be court-martialed some time Monday after Binyamin District commander Col. Mickey Edelstein concludes a probe into the matter.
Military sources said the soldier could face up to 28 days in military prison for his actions.