Israeli police arrested a man in his 40s from the central town of Be’er Yaakov on Wednesday after he arrived at Ben Gurion Airport carrying eight handguns allegedly smuggled from Germany, authorities said.
Detectives from Unit 747, the airport police unit that operates undercover among arriving passengers from the moment they disembark until baggage claim, acted on intelligence indicating an attempted weapons smuggling operation. Officers waited for the suspect upon landing and arrested him after he retrieved a suitcase containing the firearms from the baggage carousel. A search of the luggage uncovered the weapons.
The handguns seized in the attempted smuggling at Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: Israeli police)
The suspect was taken for questioning at the Ben Gurion Airport police district offices and is expected to be brought Thursday before the Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing.
As part of the investigation, police are examining whether the man was acting as a courier who received the suitcase in Germany or whether he personally purchased the handguns and attempted to smuggle them into Israel. Investigators are also working to determine the intended destination of the weapons.