Israeli Arab among gang that stole IDF weapons

Five West Bank residents and an Israeli Arab from Tayibe were arrested in August in connection to two incidents in which firearms were stolen from IDF soldiers and sold in the territories. The story was cleared for publication on Thursday.

The six were apprehended in a joint Shin Bet and police operation.

During his interrogation, Omar Shaafi, a resident of Nur al-Shams in the Tulkarm region, confessed to stealing the rifles of IDF soldiers on the Haganah Bridge over the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.

The first incident occurred on January 2008, Omar assaulted a soldier near the bridge, bludgeoned him on the head with a rock and took his M-16.

He then turned to his brother, Ali Shaafi, who lived in Bat Yam, asking him to help smuggle the weapon into the West Bank. Afterwards Omar approached another brother, Ismail, and asked for his help in selling the weapon. The assault rifle was indeed sold, but ended up in the hands of the Palestinian Authority and was confiscated.

The second, nearly identical incident occurred six months later, in July 2008. Omar assaulted a soldier with a metal crowbar until he passed out, then stole the M16.

After he had the weapon, Omar asked Sufyan Sharim, an arms dealer from Qalqiliya, to assist him with selling it.

Sufyan contacted Darwish Naser, an Israeli Arab resident of Tayibe. Naser purchased the weapon from Omar and Sufyan, and then helped Omar back into the West Bank.

Darwish confessed in his questioning of the suspicions against him, and told the investigators that after some time he sold the weapon to a resident of Nablus.

Omar Shaafi, who confessed to several unsuccessful attempts to steal weapons from soldiers, will be indicted at the Samaria military court on charges of aggravated assault and arms dealing.

Darwish was recently indicted at the Petah Tikva District Court on charges of arms trafficking. More indictments are expected follow.