Israel
Police arrest man who threatened to kill Netanyahu
The man from Kiryat Gat said he intended to buy a gun and shoot Netanyahu three times
September 25, 2025 14:18
The man from Kiryat Gat said he intended to buy a gun and shoot Netanyahu three times
September 25, 2025 14:18Israeli police have arrested a resident of the southern city of Kiryat Gat who threatened to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The suspect was arrested on the evening of September 22, the start of Rosh Hashanah, when he entered a police station and announced he intended to purchase a gun and shoot Netanyahu three times.
The officers immediately arrested the suspect, who was interrogated at the station. A court subsequently extended his detention at the police’s request.
“Today, an indictment is expected to be filed against him, along with a request for detention until the conclusion of the proceedings,” police said in a statement on Thursday.
In a separate incident on July 24, a woman in her 70s was indicted for allegedly attempting to assassinate Netanyahu, planning to carry out the attack with an anti-tank weapon.
The State Attorney’s Office filed charges of attempting to conspire to commit an act of terror and aggravated murder.
The defendant, involved in political protest activities against the Netanyahu government, had been diagnosed with a serious illness.
With possibly only a short time to live, she decided to assassinate the prime minister “thereby ‘sacrificing’ her life for the struggle against the government and in doing so, ‘saving’ the State of Israel,” the indictment said.
The plot was uncovered when the defendant was turned in by a fellow activist she attempted to recruit to the plan, asking him for help “in gathering information regarding the prime minister’s schedule, movements, location and security arrangements.”
On September 3, Netanyahu harshly condemned violent protesters against his government after they started fires in Jerusalem, likening them to “fascist militias.”
Netanyahu delivered the rebuke in a video message shortly after protesters started a fire that destroyed a car near the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.
The torched car belonged to an IDF reservist who had served 260 days in the current war and was set to report to duty in the Gaza Strip the following week.
The first indictments are expected to be filed in the coming days against four suspects, Kan News reported on Thursday.
Police released footage of the main suspect in the act, wearing a disguise consisting of a hat and fake beard. He is seen taking out a bag and throwing it into the bin and then setting fire to the contents of the bin.
Immediately, the suspect left the scene, removing the beard and hat and throwing them into nearby bushes. Hours later, he was located by the Jerusalem District Police and arrested.
Investigation of the other suspects, who are still detained, continues. They are a resident of Herzliya in his 60s, and two others in their 50s, one a resident of Tel Aviv and the other from the Ashkelon Coast Region.
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