Two Soldiers Arrested Over IDF Weapons Theft

Two IDF soldiers – an officer and an infantryman – have been arrested on charges of stealing weapons. Among the weapons stolen were hand grenades, bullets, guns, and even missiles. The officer was the ringleader of the plot, security officials said; the soldier was his driver. The driver’s father was also arrested.

Among the weapons stolen was a Matador missile, a surface-to-surface missile used to target specific buildings. The three are being charged by military prosecutors, and will be transferred to the justice system later this week for court indictments, officials said.

The weapons were stolen from a base in southern Israel. The 24-year-old officer was a resident of the Bedouin village of Zarzir, in southern Israel while his 24-year-old driver is a resident of Tamra, another southern Israeli Bedouin village. The driver’s father is charged with assisting the two to steal, transport, and store the weapons.

An investigation against the three followed their activities for three months, with evidence regarding the plot collected during that period. Officials said they used “advanced technological methods” to catch the thieves. It is not clear what they planned to do with the weapons, but officials said that they would likely have been trying to sell them to criminal elements. Officials expressed concern that the weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists as well.