Israeli authorities have charged seven men in connection with conspiring to murder an unknown person with explosive drones as part of a gang dispute in Jaffa.
“Following an undercover investigation by the Central Operations Unit (YMR) in Tel Aviv district, seven suspects planned to use a drone to harm another person in the city of Jaffa with a high explosive device,” a Tel Aviv police spokesman told reporters. “The suspects were arrested and charged this week upon completion of the investigation and are being held pending trial.”
The investigation began on December 14, 2022, after a foreign Filipino citizen in Jaffa noticed a drone standing by a wall with its lights on, under which was an object – what the witness believed to be an explosive device.
Police at a local checkpoint responded with the bomb disposal unit and found the drone was carrying a powerful standard explosive device consisting of a brick with a remote activation mechanism.
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Tel Aviv police then launched a covert intelligence operation, which quickly determined the bomb was intended to “harm another person” as part of a “criminal conflict.”
A drone seized by Tel Aviv police as part of an investigation into an alleged attack on a gangster country. (Courtesy Israel Police Force)
Police focused their investigations on an unnamed organization in the Israeli Arab town of Kafr Kassem. Two other drones and mobile phones were found during a raid on a residential building in Jaffa, and house police found explosive devices and explosives nearby.
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Police arrested the four men along with the owner of the apartment, the suspects were between 25 and 35 years old, most of them between 30 and 31 years old.
A drone seized by Tel Aviv police as part of a covert operation that discovered two other drones and explosives that may have been linked to gang activity. (Courtesy Israel Police Force)
After questioning by prosecutors, the authorities arrested two other suspects who had been in Morocco.
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Attorney Scholoss Lazerovitch told the Jerusalem Post the case reflected “a step up in the world of crime, the criminal use of innovative technology.”
Mobile phones and explosives seized by Tel Aviv police as part of their covert operation. (Courtesy Israel Police Force)
“The failure to activate the explosives does not in the least diminish the danger of those interviewed, who did not hesitate to carry out a bloody attack in the city of Jaffa and their activity was only halted due to external circumstances and thanks to the vigilance and determination of the police.” , wrote Lazerovitch.
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The charges include conspiracy to commit a crime, possession and transport of a firearm and ammunition without a permit, and attempting to destroy property with an explosive.
Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this article.
Peter Aitken is a reporter at Fox News Digital specializing in national and global news.