Police Arrest 5 Arabs in Northern Israel for Possession of Illegal Weapons

Jerusalem, 12 March, 2020 (TPS) -- Police forces raided several Arab towns in northern Israel on Wednesday, arrested five men for the possession of illegal weapons and confiscated several guns and drugs.

The operation was part of the police’s months-long campaign against illegal weapons and violent crime in the Israeli-Arab sector

In the village of Iblin, the forces seized an M-4 assault rifle and Hashish worth NIS 100,000. A 60-year-old resident was arrested for questioning.

In Shfaram the police found ammunition, cartridges, firearm parts, and other combat equipment hidden in homes. Three suspects, aged 19, 23 and 36 were detained for questioning, and one of the suspects was arrested after the interrogation and will be brought before a judge for a hearing on his remand in a Haifa court on Thursday.

In the village of Rama, the police found a Karl Gustav sub-machine gun and a training grenade. A 52-year-old suspect from the village was arrested and brought to the police station for questioning.

Since the beginning of 2019, the police have located and seized more than 4,200 illegal weapons items, including more than 1,000 rifles and weapons of various kinds, 275 grenades, ammunition, explosive charges, weapon parts and other contraband, most of it seized during operations in Arab communities.

Data shows that Arab-Israelis are involved in 57 percent of all murder cases, 55% of the attempted murder cases, 59%of the arson incidents, 45% of the robberies, and 26% of drug cases.

Israelis Arabs represent about 20% of the general population.