Laos. Defendant said received death threats
צילום: mct
US citizen indicted for trying to hire hitman in Israel
Indictment filed against American citizen suspected of trying to hire contract killer at shooting range in Tel Aviv to assassinate man who supposedly threatened his life in Laos
An indictment was filed over the weekend with the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court against an American citizen who allegedly arrived in Israel in order to hire an assassin to kill a person in Laos. Following an undercover operation of the International Crimes Unit, detectives succeeded in apprehending the suspect, Peter Nichols, who had pledged to pay $40,000 for the murder.
The indictment against Nichols, who was arrested at the Ben Gurion Airport just before leaving the country, was filed by the Tel Aviv District's Prosecutor's Office. Nichols is charged with conspiracy to commit a murder.
The indictment suggests that Nichols arrived in Israel on January 26 and went to a shooting range in Tel Aviv the next day. There he me A., an English-speaking Israeli citizen, and asked him whether he served in the IDF, to which A. responded that he had. Nichols then told A. that he is residing in Laos and has been receiving death threats there, probably from a relative.
He then offered A. to pay him a sum of $40,000 for a murder and pledged to arm him with a gun with a silencer for this purpose. A. asked the defendant for his phone number and a photo of his passport in order to verify his personal details, and promptly reported to the police with the information.
Three days later, under police instruction, A. tried to contact Nichols and the two met at the shooting range. A. told the defendant that he found someone willing to perform the murder. However, Nichols replied that he was thinking of returning to Laos and finding a hitman there.
When Nichols was about to depart back to Laos the International Crimes Unit finally arrested him at the Ben Gurion Airport. His remand was extended following the filing of the indictment until all legal proceedings against him are completed.
