Suspicion of arson and collection of protection money: The Northern District police raided the village of Tuba Zangaria and arrested 14 suspects.
Northern District police raided several targets in the village of Tuba Zangaria and other communities on Monday morning and arrested 14 suspects on suspicion of committing arson offenses and extorting protection money in the Kinneret area.
14 suspects arrested: extensive police operation in Tuba Zangaria | Police Spokesperson's Office
The raid was carried out at the end of an undercover investigation that began against the background of the arson of a truck in the community of Tefahot, alongside arson incidents throughout the entire Kinneret area, including setting fire to anchored boats, in an attempt to force the business owners to pay protection fees.
In the early hours of the morning, the signal was given and Northern District police and Border Police officers raided several targets in the village, where they arrested 10 suspects for interrogation, on suspicion of arson offenses, assaulting a guard and more, in order to force businesses to pay protection money, under the guise of guard activity. Four other suspects were arrested in Rumat Haib, Dubev, Alma and Gush Halav.
Upon the arrest of the suspects, the police seized a large amount of equipment that helps formulate an evidentiary infrastructure for prosecuting the suspects. The suspects will be brought to the Nazareth Magistrate's Court later today with a request by the police to extend their detention and the investigation is in its early stages.
Protection and arson. The arrests in Tuba Zangaria, photo: Police Spokesperson's Office
Earlier this month, a closure was imposed on the village. Tuba Zangaria, photo: Police Spokesperson's Office
The Israel Police notes that it "calls on every citizen who has fallen victim to an offense accompanied by threats not to surrender to extortion and to notify the police immediately." The accumulated experience in a variety of extortion offenses by threats, the police say, "shows that payment or obedience to criminal elements does not guarantee anything, and often even encourages them to deepen the extortion and carry out their plot against the same victim and other victims."
Earlier this month, Tuba Zangaria was placed under lockdown as part of the tough crackdown on crime in the Arab sector. This follows a number of murders in recent months, as well as the accumulation of weapons. In a joint operation between the police and the IDF, mortar shells were found hidden in schools.
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