From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 7, 2025
Court extends detention of man accused of threatening victims of alleged sexual assault by Haredi patrol chief
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
A Tel Aviv judge has extended by two days the remand of an associate of Chaim Rotter, head of the Shomrim patrol in Bnei Brak, who is currently under investigation for multiple sexual assaults of minors and women, police say.
The decision is the latest step in an ongoing investigation into Rotter’s alleged assaults for over a decade, after he was arrested Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport as he arrived back in Israel.
Police say that Rotter’s associate, a Bnei Brak resident in his 20s, will remain in custody until Wednesday, per today’s decision at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.
Hebrew outlets name the suspect as Yoel Yosef.
He is being investigated on suspicion of threatening Rotter’s victims into silence, assisting him in his crimes, and obstructing the police’s investigation.
Rotter heads the Shomrim patrol, a private security organization that operates in Bnei Brak in coordination with rabbis and law enforcement in the mostly Haredi city.
He is suspected of sexually assaulting many of the young volunteers in the organization and exploiting his position to deter victims from filing complaints with the police.
The investigation into Rotter is being led by a special investigation team in the Dan Region police, in the Tel Aviv District, law enforcement says.
The Times of Israel Community.