Gag order lifted: Senior officer detained for questioning today is Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi

2 December 2024, 10:35 pm 2 Edit

Israel Prisons Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi attends the first committee meeting for creating a new national guard, held at the National Security Ministry in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The senior officer detained for questioning today, on suspicion of obstructing an investigation and breach of trust, is Israel Prison Service Chief Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, Hebrew media reports, after a court lifts a gag order on the affair.

Two Israel Police officers were also detained in the case, the details of which have largely been covered by the gag order, including the identity of those involved.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose ministry oversees both the police and the prison service, has accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miar of attempting a “coup” and intimidating officers to prevent them from implementing his policies.

Ben Gvir posts a photo of himself with Yaakobi after he is named in the case, with the text, “We love you Kobi. The people are with you against the attorney general’s coup d’état.”