Engineer arrested after threatening Peres, Olmert

Haifa electronics engineer with history of threatening lives of public figures taken for questioning after sending out menacing email

Reuters | Published: 06.14.07, 16:48

A 78-year-old resident of Haifa was arrested Thursday afternoon for allegedly sending an email in which he threatens the lives of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President elect Shimon Peres.

The suspect, Dr Rady Reikhlin, has been arrested in the past for threatening former prime minister Ariel Sharon, Minister Avi Dichter and other public figures. He was released on bail after his questioning and he is forbidden to use a computer for a period of a week.

Reikhlin, a electronic engineer, allegedly sent the email to many addressees. One of them was Haifa University Rector, Prof Yossi Ben-Artzi. The subject of the message was "An ode to an Israeli Kozak's the message wrote: "Today, my targets have changed. First bullet… Olmert! Second bullet, for the State of Israel's new president – Shimon Peres."

Ben-Artzi gave an instruction to forward the email to the police. "It was the first time I ever saw anything like it. The letter obviously had criminal content, therefore I asked it to be transferred to the police," he said.

Dr Reikhlin was arrested shortly after. During his investigation he explained that he was testing the system with letters like this one. The police also found 'recipes' for explosives on his computer. He said that they were taken from a book about a revolution that he had written 20 years ago. His computer was confiscated.

The words of the song that he quoted, he said, were based on a Russian Kozak song. He also said that he had sent such letters in the past referring to the prime minister at the time Ariel Sharon and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter.

According to Reikhlin, shooting the prime minister and president elect would be appropriate, but he couldn't do it himself as he was 'only a theoretician.'

"I think somebody has to do it because we have no rule here. We have no government. This prime minister must step down because he has failed. We need to revolt. He must resign or be taken down. But

I cannot do it. If I could I would put them in jail for not fulfilling their duties and treason," he said"

Dr Reikhlin also criticized the police: "When Arabs mark the Nakba Day on Independence Day, the police do not come. But today, I hadn't even pushed 'send,' and the police was at my door."