Woman tells radio station Tel Aviv towers to be targeted
Photo: Pini Siluk
Woman detained after claiming to be al-Qaeda member
53-year-old woman arrested after calling Army Radio, claiming Tel Aviv towers to be bombed
A 53-year-old Bat Yam woman is suspected of calling Army Radio Wednesday afternoon and reporting that she belongs to al-Qaeda. She also told the radio station that a terror attack was planned at Tel Aviv's Azrieli Towers.
The woman was detained by police and will spend the night in detention. Her actions may have been prompted by news reports earlier in the day regarding the arrest of two Bedouins on suspicion of affiliation with al-Qaeda.
The woman did not bother blocking her phone number when calling the radio station, prompting Army Radio to relay her message and phone number to the Tel Aviv District police.
Police officials who looked into the report discovered that the woman has been known to call 100, the police's emergency number, on occasion and make false reports. A police cruiser was promptly sent to her home and she was detained.
Police decided to adopt a tough attitude this time around and will bring the woman to court Thursday morning in a bid to extend her detention.
The woman's hometown of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv, is also the home of a 19-year-old suspect detained earlier this week on suspicion of making more than 90 false calls to police and emergency services over the past four years.
The suspect was only identified this week and confessed to the charges. Following his arrest, he expressed his puzzlement over the failure to arrest him earlier, telling police: "How come you didn't catch me sooner?"
