Israeli alleged mobster arrested in Malaysia with illegal firearms, suspected of spying
Shalom Avitan said to be en route to kill rival mob boss, but Malaysian police say he could be an Israeli agent; may face 25 years behind bars; 3 arrested for supplying weapons
Malaysia has arrested an armed Israeli man at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, its top police official said Friday, describing the 36-year-old as a suspected spy.
The man, who was found carrying six handguns and 200 bullets, had arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 using what authorities believed to be a fake French passport, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain told a press conference.
The suspect turned over an Israeli passport upon questioning by police, Razarudin said.
Several Hebrew-language news outlets later identified the suspect as Shalom Avitan, an associate of the Musli brothers crime family. The Mako news site reported that Avitan was en route to assassinate Eran Haya, head of a rival crime family.
The two syndicates have been engaged in a violent feud for months. According to Channel 12, Avitan’s home, in Tel Aviv’s upscale Bavli neighborhood, was the target of several grenades tossed by Haya’s men in mid-March, around when Haya was said to have entered Malaysia.
Razarudin, the Malaysian police chief, said at the press conference that the suspect told authorities he had entered Malaysia to hunt down another Israeli citizen due to a family dispute.
“However, we do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect there may be another agenda,” Razarudin said, adding that the detained man had moved between several hotels during his time in Malaysia. He said the Malaysian police were investigating the possibility that Avitan was an Israeli intelligence agent.
Kepolisian Malaysia Tangkap Agen israel
Inspektur Jenderal Polisi Malaysia Tan Sri Razarudin Husein mengatakan bahwa pihaknya telah menangkap pria berusia 36 tahun, yang dicurigai sebagai agen intelijen israel. Hal ini membuat Kepolisian Kerajaan Malaysia dalam kondisi siaga… pic.twitter.com/UjXMAOpBII
— Lembayung Senja ???????? (@Lembayungsyahdu) March 30, 2024
Police were also investigating how he obtained the weapons, which were purchased in Malaysia and paid for with cryptocurrency, Razarudin said.
According to reports, Avitan is expected to face 25 years in jail if convicted.
Three Malaysians, including a married couple, were arrested on Friday and have been remanded for seven days on suspicion of supplying weapons and acting as a driver to the Israeli suspect, Razarudin told Reuters on Saturday.
A pistol was retrieved from a car belonging to the couple, he said.
Noting that Avitan was arrested during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Razarudin added that authorities were on high alert following the arrest, with security beefed up for Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other high-level figures, he added.
Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, is home to around 600 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
In 2018, a Palestinian scientist was shot dead in the Malaysian capital by two unidentified men in a killing that the Hamas terror group suggested was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Israel denied the allegations.
