Israeli came here to assassinate rival gang leader: Report
Published on: Sunday, March 31, 2024
By: FMT Reporters
Pic by @Lembayungsyahdu | X
PETALING JAYA: Israeli news outlets have identified the armed Israeli man arrested in Kuala Lumpur as Shalom Avitan, a man affiliated with the Musli brothers crime family, who came here to assassinate the head of a rival crime family.
Quoting Hebrew-language news outlets, the Times of Israel said Avitan was en route to assassinate Eran Haya, amid a violent feud between the two crime families.
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“According to Channel 12, Avitan’s home in Tel Aviv’s upscale Bavli neighbourhood was the target of several grenades tossed by Haya’s men in mid-March, around when Haya was said to have entered Malaysia,” the Times of Israel reported.
Police arrested Avitan, 36, on March 12 at a hotel at Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, and seized six firearms and 200 bullets.
Announcing the arrest on Friday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the Israeli claimed that he was targeting another Israeli national over a family dispute, but the police were conducting further investigations.
Following the arrest, he said, police have beefed up security for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other VIPs, amid the country’s relentless support for Palestine in the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
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“Our concern is that due to the Palestine-Israel issue, we have to take into account the safety of the king, the prime minister, and several VVIPs and officers,” he told the media.
The police investigation is also focused on whether the suspect is actually an Israeli agent, as it is believed that he was not operating alone.
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Razarudin had said the suspect claimed to have purchased all the firearms, of various models including a Sig Sauer, Glock 27, and Smith and Wesson, while he was in Malaysia.
The suspect claimed the transaction took place using cryptocurrency. The police are investigating who sold the weapons and how they were smuggled into Malaysia.
Razarudin said the investigation showed that the man entered the country using a French passport, but when pressed further, handed over his Israeli passport.
Yesterday, the IGP confirmed that three people, all Malaysians, were arrested on Friday over their links to the Israeli suspect. They comprised a couple, who were alleged to have sold the firearms to Avitan, and a man who is said to have been his driver since his arrival. - FMT
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