Indictment Filed in Lod Over Theft and Sale of IDF Assault Rifles
An indictment was filed in Lod against a 27-year-old from Netanya for allegedly stealing, trafficking, and mediating the sale of M4 assault rifles stolen from an IDF base.
An indictment was filed this morning at the Central District Court in Lod against 27-year-old Sorapel Gatahon from Netanya, for his involvement in a case centered around the theft of three M4 assault rifles from an IDF base in Atlit and their alleged transfer in a weapons deal in Netanya. Gatahon is charged with aggravated weapons theft, arms trafficking, and the carrying and transport of weapons and ammunition.
According to the indictment, earlier this month, Sergeant Raphael Shemesh unlawfully took three M4 rifles from the Atlit base. Each rifle was loaded with a magazine containing 29 bullets and equipped with an optical sight. The soldier then drove to Netanya.
At a kiosk on HaAtzmaut Street in Netanya, the soldier met several people, including Gatahon, and showed them the weapons. After moving away, Gatahon allegedly took one of the M4 rifles from the trunk.
The soldier noticed this and began chasing him. During the chase, Gatahon reportedly threw the weapon into a garbage can. After the soldier caught up with him, Gatahon allegedly retrieved the rifle from the bin, apologized, and offered to arrange a buyer for all three weapons.
According to the indictment, Gatahon contacted another person and mediated between him and the soldier. The parties later met, and the three rifles were transferred to the buyer along with magazines and additional ammunition.
During the investigation, a confrontation was held between the soldier and Gatahon. According to the remand request, the soldier confronted him, accusing him of taking one of the weapons, hiding it in the trash can, and subsequently mediating the arms sale.
In a subsequent undercover investigative technique, the prosecution stated that Gatahon was heard confessing to taking one of the rifles. Conversely, during his interrogations, he denied the allegations against him and claimed he was not even at the scene at the relevant time.
The prosecution argues that the acts attributed to him pose a public danger and requested that he be detained until the end of proceedings. The request noted that he has four previous convictions, including offenses of assault, theft, property damage, and obstructing a police officer.
