Two residents of Wadi Ara are suspected of possessing and carrying a variety of illegal weapons, which constitutes a threat to national security, police said on Wednesday at the conclusion of the investigation into the matter.
The police investigation, conducted alongside the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), uncovered photographic evidence proving that the two men, brothers aged 24 and 27, possessed and had carried an M16 rifle, multiple handguns, and ammunition.
The two brothers were detained early on in the investigation, and their detention was continuously extended as the investigation wore on. Once the police investigation concluded, a prosecutor’s statement was filed against the two suspects, and the State Attorney’s Office is expected to file an indictment in the near future, along with a request to extend their detention until the end of the legal process.
One of the photographs found in the investigation and published by police showed an infant propped up on a sofa next to an M16 rifle. Other images showed the suspects holding various weapons, while some displayed the weapons laid out on the floor alongside the ammunition. In one picture, a rifle appears to be laid out on top of a Muslim prayer mat.
Police arrest two Wadi Ara residents after they throw gun, attempt to hide evidence
In a similar incident in April, two men from the Arab-Israeli town of Wadi Ara were arrested during a police raid on an apartment as part of an effort to crack down on illegal weapons and reduce Arab sector crime.
When police entered the apartment, the two suspects threw the weapons in an attempt to hide the evidence. Consequently, obstruction of justice was added to their list of charges.
Police seized a weapon that was suspected of being used for criminal purposes, along with ammunition.
