Officer throws tear gas grenade into comrades' room

Captain in Paratroopers Brigade wears gas mask, locks officers in room and hurls tear gas grenade inside. 'We couldn't believe it was happening,' one of them says

Yoav Zitun|Published: 07.22.12 , 23:32

A senior officer in the Paratroopers Brigade celebrated the end of his term as deputy commander of the 202nd Battalion by hurling a tear gas grenade into a closed room full of fellow officers, according to eyewitness accounts.

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At this point it appears that the officer will not be discharged from the army, but the IDF Spokesperson's Unit called the incident "serious and unusual," adding that "it is being dealt with by the commanding officers with the necessary severity."

The army said the officer will be questioned upon his return from a trip abroad.

According to witnesses, the officer, who holds the rank of captain, locked a group of officers under his command in a room and then threw the grenade inside. The officer himself was wearing a gas mask and filmed the act using his cell phone.

A few minutes past before the deputy battalion commander let the officers out of the room.

"We couldn't believe it was really happening," one of them said. "It was done in jest, but for a deputy battalion commander to pull such a stunt on his officers, and in front of the soldiers no less?"

The incident took place at the IDF's Biranit outpost, near the border with Lebanon.