48 Bullets Fired: Three Suspects Indicted After Nationwide Extortion Sweep
Police arrested 52 suspects in a 10-month operation targeting protection rackets that charged contractors for nonexistent security services.
By Nikolai Morales ·
48 bullets were fired at a home in the Lower Galilee region, according to an indictment filed at the Haifa District Court.
The Israel Police announced on Tuesday that three suspects from Nazareth, aged 23, 18, and 17, were charged in connection with the shooting and a related extortion scheme.
The alleged victim, a resident of Kafr Manda, is a businessman who owns a gas station. Police stated that the three suspects targeted him as part of a protection racket linked to a major crime organization.
The case began in early October when the victim reported that a stranger demanded 400,000 shekels, approximately $126,955, in protection money. The stranger threatened violence if the payment was not made.
Shortly after the initial demand, shots were fired at the victim's home and his gas station. He then received a phone call raising the demand to 1 million shekels, or about $317,482, with threats to shoot him in the legs and blow up the station.
On October 8, officers from Northern Police and Border Police observed shots fired from a vehicle near the victim's property. Police engaged the vehicle, which escaped the scene. Officers later located the car in an open area and recovered an M-16 rifle and other evidence.
Hours later, the three primary suspects were apprehended in Nazareth. All three had sustained injuries from police fire during the vehicle chase. A fourth man was also arrested on suspicion of participating in the shooting, while a third suspect allegedly acted as a look-out.
The look-out crashed his vehicle into a police patrol car that was blocking the escape route. The three indicted suspects were charged with shooting offenses, extortion by threats, weapon transportation, reckless driving, and other counts.
The indictments coincided with a nationwide operation named Guardians of the Shadow. Approximately 500 regular and Border Police officers raided dozens of locations across the country.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 52 suspects. It followed a 10-month undercover investigation conducted by the Lahav 433 national crime unit in cooperation with the State Prosecution Office.
Police stated that the suspects systematically demanded tens of thousands of shekels in protection money from contractors. The criminals forced businesses to hire their guard services without providing actual protection, effectively creating the threat they claimed to prevent.
All suspects were brought to Haifa Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for remand hearings. Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy commented on the operation in a statement, noting that citizens forced to pay out of fear lose the freedom to run their businesses.
