A 47-year-old prisoner from Yafia who left a three-day holiday furlough without reporting to his designated location in southern Israel allegedly stole a Mercedes valued at a quarter million shekels from a car lot in Kiryat Shmona, Israeli police report. Following a police investigation linking the incidents, undercover motorcycle officers spotted the vehicle near Kfar Kana, and after a pursuit that included warning shots and a collision, the suspect was arrested. An indictment and detention request have been filed at the Nazareth-Nof HaGalil Magistrate's Court.
A 47-year-old prisoner from Yafia, who had been on a three-day holiday furlough since May 28 and failed to report to his designated location in southern Israel, was arrested Wednesday after a police chase—the latest in a thread that The Zioneer has tracked since earlier this morning. Police say the suspect stole a Mercedes valued at approximately 250,000 shekels from a car lot in Kiryat Shmona, and that the theft was linked to the missing prisoner. An indictment and detention request were filed at the Nazareth-Nof HaGalil Magistrate's Court, closing a multi-day manhunt.
As The Zioneer reported at 09:36 Jerusalem Wednesday, the suspect was arrested after officers located the vehicle near Kfar Kana. Undercover motorcycle officers, including one who had arrested the same man four years earlier, initiated a pursuit that included warning shots and a collision with a house wall. At that time, Israeli media reported only the arrest and the broad circumstances. By 10:05 Jerusalem, police had filed formal charges, advancing the case from an arrest to a judicial proceeding.
The suspect's prior record includes a 2022 incident, also involving a chase, in which an innocent civilian was injured—details The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday. That context, confirmed by police, introduces a pattern of evasive behavior by the same individual.
It remains unclear why the suspect failed to return from furlough, and how the car lot in Kiryat Shmona became his target. The court's decision on the detention request is pending.
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