Video: A tank was stolen from a base near the Elyakim interchange and was found in a junkyard / Israel Police Spokesperson's Office
Police arrested two more men on Wednesday night on suspicion of involvement in stealing the Merkava tank from a training base in Balyakim. The tank was discovered in the yard of a steel export and import plant in the city of Nesher. The detainees are a 42-year-old man from Moshav Ein HaEmek, near the base, and a 43-year-old man from Migdal HaEmek.
Earlier yesterday, a 46-year-old iron scrap yard owner from Haifa and a 44-year-old man from Tiberias were arrested. All four are expected to appear this morning before a judge of the Haifa Magistrate's Court, where the police are asking for their detention to be extended by 10 days.
The report of the theft came overnight from a representative from the Ministry of Defense. After receiving the report, the Hof District police began a search, during which Nesher Station officers located the tank inside a junkyard in the city area.
The stolen tank/official website, Police Spokesperson's Office
From a preliminary investigation of the circumstances of the case, the tank is inactive and was stolen from the scene for reasons that are currently being investigated. It is suspected that the motive was to scrap the steel and sell it.
Upon locating the stolen tank, the Ministry of Defense was notified and the police opened a joint investigation with the Military Police Investigation Unit. An IDF spokesperson and the Ministry of Defense said: "Following information received by the Ministry of Defense about a stolen tank, the investigation unit of the NSC opened an investigation in cooperation with the Israel Police and the Military Police. The tank was located in an iron collection lot in the city of Nesher. This is the chassis of a Merkava 2 tank that went out of service many years ago. The tank has no means of armament, and its systems do not work. The tank was stationed in a firing zone open to travelers and was used as a stationary vehicle for soldiers' exercises. The tank was returned to the security system. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and a command debriefing will also take place."
- More on the subject:
- Tanks
- Theft
- Elyakim
