Three Arrested in Shefaram for Possessing Stolen IDF Matador Missile
Three men face criminal charges in the Haifa District Court following the seizure of a stolen military-grade Matador anti-tank rocket near Shfaram. The suspects include a 22-year-old Palestinian man from the West Bank staying in Israel without a permit, alongside two residents of Shfaram aged 22 and 24, according to an indictment filed on September 5 by the Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office.
Security Forces Seize Weapon Near Shfaram
Security forces recovered the weapon during a targeted operational sweep conducted jointly by the Yasam Galilee fighters and the Yamar Northern Unit’s Yagil team. The raid took place in an open area adjacent to Shfaram in the Galilee region. During subsequent questioning at the Yamar Galilee offices, detectives uncovered evidence implicating a third participant in the possession scheme. Investigators arrested the additional suspect after discovering digital media showing him holding the military ordinance.
Indictments Filed in Haifa District Court
The Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office submitted formal indictments against all three defendants to the Haifa District Court alongside requests to hold them in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings. The charges center on the unauthorized acquisition and possession of military weaponry. State prosecutors maintain that the accused individuals recorded themselves handling the stolen military hardware on mobile devices. Police recovered these digital files during the initial phases of the investigation, providing prosecutors with direct visual evidence linking the suspects to the seized rocket.
Market Value and Threat Assessments by Galilee Police
Deputy Commander of Yamar Galilee, Chief Inspector Tarek Ebeid, stated that law enforcement intervened before the weapon could reach criminal elements. According to police estimates, the suspects planned to sell the ordinance to criminal actors for hundreds of thousands of shekels. Ebeid emphasized the destructive potential of the recovered hardware.
“מנענו אסון כבד, הנאשמים תכננו למכור לגורם פלילי במחיר של מאות אלפי שקלים. זה נגנב מבסיס צבאי, זה טיל נגד טנקים ונגד אנשים, זה טיל שנועד להשבית טנק ומבנים, זה היה עלול לגרום לאסון כבד. אם הטיל היה מגיע לארגוני פשע – היה עלול להיגרם אסון כבד. יש הודאות וגם הכחשות”
Police confirmed that while some suspects admitted to aspects of the possession during interrogations, others entered denials regarding their specific level of involvement in the theft and subsequent storage of the rocket.