THE Israeli man detained by police with several firearms at a hotel in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur on March 27, has been identified as Shalom Avitan, 36.
The Times of Israel which quoted Hebrew news reports said Avitan was an associate of the Musli brothers crime family and was en route to assassinate Eran Haya, head of a rival crime family.
"The two syndicates have been engaged in a violent feud for months and Avitan’s home, in Tel Aviv’s upscale Bavli neighbourhood, was the target of several grenades tossed by Haya’s men in mid-March.
"This was around when Haya was said to have entered Malaysia," said the reports.
Following the arrest of the Israeli man, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said police detained a local couple on suspicion of supplying weapons to the Israeli national.
The couple, aged 42 and 40 were nabbed at 7.30 pm at a Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Selangor yesterday.
The suspects were then taken to their residence, where police recovered a pistol stashed in a backpack in a Honda Jazz car.
It was reported that the male suspect was believed to have supplied six pistols to the Israeli.
The suspect had entered the country using a French passport.
It is learnt that police also detained a 38-year-old local man in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, who is believed to be the driver for the Israeli suspect.
Police are tracking the suspect's movements based on information from the driver and also checking what role he played and the places he frequented.
All three suspects have been remanded for seven days from yesterday.
Razarudin earlier said the Israeli man had claimed to have entered the country to assassinate a fellow countryman over a family dispute.
He was arrested on March 27, two weeks after the suspect entered Malaysia via the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 12.
“Investigations revealed that he had entered Malaysia using a French passport and upon further questioning, he produced an Israeli passport,” he told a press conference here.
He said police are also not ruling out that the individual could be an intelligence spy.
Razarudin also did not rule out the possibility that the suspect had another agenda and due to the Palestine-Israel issue, police are taking into account the safety of the king, the prime minister, several VVIPs and officers.
Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has criticised Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, is home to around 600 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
In 2018, a Palestinian scientist was shot dead in the Malaysian capital by two unidentified men in a killing that the Hamas terror group suggested was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Israel denied the allegations. - The Vibes, March 31, 2024
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