Police arrested directors of a leading ultra-Orthodox news site on Sunday, on suspicion of blackmailing public figures for hundreds of thousands of shekels over several years.
Four directors, including the CEO, of ‘Behadrei Haredim’ allegedly extorted politicians and leading rabbis for exorbitant sums in exchange not publishing potentially damaging information on their website.
Police questioned other Behadrei Haredim employees about the company’s dealings and, according to Maariv, the arrests are not yet over.
Behadrei Haredim, a site offering news and discussion fora for ultra-Orthodox readers, is one of the most popular websites among members of the insular community. Despite — or perhaps because of — its popularity, leading rabbis condemned its use for promoting the spread of slanderous speech and rebelliousness.
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