Man arrested on suspicion of looting jewelry, drugs from apartment building hit by Iranian missile

Police arrested a man on suspicion of looting luxury items from a Bat Yam apartment building damaged in an Iranian missile strike early Sunday morning.

Law enforcement says the suspect, a 26-year-old fencing contractor from the Bedouin town of Kuseife, was spotted Monday by a municipal inspector in the city as he exited one of the abandoned buildings.

The inspector reported him to Bat Yam police officers who were stationed at the scene of the missile strike, in which nine people were killed the day before.

During a search of the suspect, police found cash, jewelry, perfumes, a smart watch and cannabis, all of which he allegedly stole from the abandoned apartments.

The suspect was brought before a judge in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court yesterday, who extended his remand until Thursday.

“The Israel Police takes very seriously any attempt to loot property belonging to the public evacuated from their homes following damage during the fighting [with Iran], and will prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” says a police spokesman.