Thief disguised as IDF officer arrested after targeting evacuee residences

Police arrested a resident of Eilat who impersonated an IDF officer and broke into multiple houses in Kiryat Shmona, the police reported on Tuesday morning.

Following reports the Israeli police received of an apartment that had been burglarized in the city, a covert investigation commenced.

As the Northern District police officers' investigation progressed, it emerged that the suspect – a 30-year-old man – had been moving around Kiryat Shmona in recent weeks, presenting himself as a soldier in a special unit of the IDF and even appearing in uniform at the scene of a rocket strike in the city.

On Monday morning, as part of the operations of the police district in the city, officers identified the suspect getting off a bus, wearing IDF attire with officer ranks, carrying a fully loaded M16 rifle and a replica handgun.

Evidence of suspected squatting

Upon examination, it was found that he was wearing a stolen belt and was carrying a stolen soldier’s dog tag around his neck. The suspect's vehicle was found to contain large amounts of stolen property, taken from various apartments in Kiryat Shmona.

In a swift investigation, the police reached the apartment of an evacuated family where the suspect allegedly previously broke in and stayed inside for several days.

On Monday, his arrest was extended by the Tiberias Magistrate's Court until July 19, at the request of the police.