Police fear deadly serial-bank robber on the loose

Robber operating across the center of the country; Police believe he is a highly-dangerous individual.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
crime scene (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [illustrative])
crime scene
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [illustrative])
Police believe a serial armed-bank robber is operating across the center of the country, following a string of heists in recent weeks and months.
According to the line of investigation being pursued by police, the robber is a highly-dangerous individual.
In August, a security guard was shot dead when a gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet to cover his face robbed a branch of Bank Hapoalim in Be’er Ya’acov, between Ness Ziona and Ramle.
Several other robberies have occurred across the central region since then.
On Tuesday, police acknowledged that only 10 percent of bank robberies end with suspects being charged in court.
The figure emerged during a session called by the Knesset’s Interior Affairs and Environment Committee to discuss a recent spate of armed robberies, and the murder of a civilian during one last week.
“In some cases, we know who the bank robbers are, but there isn’t enough evidence to charge them... We use intelligence to get them on other crimes,” said Asst.- Ch. Yoav Segalovich, head of the Investigation Branch. “We have marked these people. We don’t always get them on robberies.”
The robbers arrived with masks and gloves, making indictments difficult to issue, he added.
The last known serial-bank robber in Israel was Rony Leibovitz, nicknamed the “Motorcycle Bandit.” In 1990, he robbed 21 banks on his motorcycle before being apprehended and sent to prison, where he served eight years.
Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.


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