Prosecutors to Seek Tougher Punishment for Possession of Weapons

YERUSHALAYIM

Israel’s crackdown on terrorism continued on Sunday with the announcement that the Justice Ministry has instructed state prosecutors to seek from six months to 11 years in prison for possession of arms and ammunition, depending on the seriousness of the case, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Prior to the new directive by State Attorney Shai Nitzan, the punishment asked was left more to the discretion of prosecutors in cases involving mere possession but no actual use of the weapons.

Prosecutors must now ask for at least six months in prison for possession of ammunition, six-18 months for possessing Molotov cocktail materials, ten-30 months for selling those materials, two-six years for selling guns, three-seven years for possession of bomb-making materials and five-11 years for selling those materials.

Also on Sunday, an Arab 13-year-old was caught with a pistol and two loaded cartridges in a school locker in east Yerushalayim.

The boy was arrested.

“It is not clear how he got a hold of it, and that’s something we’re looking into – as well as why he was holding it, if he was holding it for someone else, or if the gun was to be used in any plan to carry out an attack,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said on Sunday morning.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!