An Israeli fugitive who is described as the country’s “most wanted gang leader”, has been arrested during an operation led by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Interpol in Bryanston, Johannesburg.
The 46-year-old alleged gang leader is believed to be connected to a criminal organisation in Israel called the Abergil Organisation, which is linked to drug trafficking, extortion and other criminal activities, said Colonel Athlenda Mathe, the police spokesperson.
It is understood that the suspects were handcuffed during a multidisciplinary team led by Interpol South Africa, Organised Crime, Crime Intelligence and the Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday.
Mathe said the Israeli national was on Interpol’s Red Notice since 2015.
“He is a wanted suspect in Israel for conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder,” Mathe said.
The man was arrested along with seven others at a house in Bryanston during an early morning operation on Thursday.
Police confiscated five assault rifles and seven pistols, around $40 000 (R691 000) and three suspected stolen motorcycles.
“According to Israeli authorities, between 2003 and 2004, the suspect placed an explosive bomb underneath a vehicle of a man in Israel in two separate incidents. As a result of the explosion, five people sustained serious injuries but all miraculously survived.”
Mathe added that in another incident, Israel’s most wanted gang leader also attempted to replicate his actions, after placing a bomb on top of a victim’s vehicle.
“In this crime incident, three people sustained serious injuries and were rushed to hospital.”
Meanwhile, Gauteng police made a breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping, after arresting a 43-year-old man who is allegedly linked to detained suspected kidnapping kingpin Faizal Charloos.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday during an integrated intelligence-driven operation led by the National Counter Crime Intelligence unit.
Source: The South African, IOL, The Citizen, News24, Times Live, image from Twitter: @JacaNews