Prosecutors plan to file charges against two Druze Israelis after they were nabbed trying to return home from Syria with a Kalashnikov rifle earlier this month, police say.
The two suspects, an 18-year-old from Kisra and 20-year-old from Beit Jann, had crossed into Syria along with around 1,000 other Druze inhabitants of Israel, seeking to rescue their coreligionists from attacks by Bedouin tribes and regime forces. Their names are not published.
The two returned to Israel on July 17 and were inspected by police, who found a Kalashnikov rifle and magazine in the personal belongings of the two young men. They were detained and the firearm was seized.
According to law enforcement, investigators searching the young men’s phones found photos and video of the two holding the same weapon that was seized from them at the border. It is unclear where the photos were taken.
Prosecutors will file an indictment against the pair in the Nazareth District Court later today and request they remain in detention until the end of legal proceedings, police say. They will be charged with unlawful departure to an enemy country and illegal import of a weapon.
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