Police discovered an unusually large cache of weapons inside a vehicle in the northern town of Rosh Pina Saturday, authorities said, including shoulder‑fired missiles, explosives, grenades and a wide array of long guns and ammunition.
Officers were called after Superintendent Yariv Bochnick of the Northern District noticed a parked car near a residential area that raised his suspicions while walking his dog. Police initially responded to conduct a preliminary investigation and, as the level of concern grew, closed off the scene and summoned bomb disposal experts.
Inside the vehicle, police sappers uncovered the sizable stockpile, which also included a Negev light machine gun, several pistols and rifles, multiple types of grenades and charges and large quantities of ammunition. According to police, much of the weaponry is suspected of having been stolen from the IDF.
Police launched a criminal investigation, with authorities saying “all leads are being pursued.” In an initial assessment, they said most of the weapons appear to have been taken from military storage.
“At nine this morning, I went out with my dog for a walk. I noticed this vehicle — it had several suspicious markers,” Superintendent Bochnick recalled. “I did a visual scan around the car and saw findings that didn’t align with the circumstances. I called the station and asked for a patrol car to come to the scene. I’m glad that thanks to my alertness, we prevented a very serious disaster and protected civilians’ lives. If that car had been ignited, it would have exploded and there would have been a tragedy.”
Police said officers from the Northern District “continue to act decisively against serious crime and the possession of illegal weapons to protect public safety.” They added that more than 1,000 weapons had been seized in the district in 2025 alone and several armed cells were broken up.