Police say they have arrested a gang of thieves suspected of having targeted Jewish tour groups by learning their movements so as to strike when the visitors were not in their hotel rooms.
The gang, comprising a woman and three men, is believed to be behind a series of robberies among participants on Birthright-Taglit trips who were staying at the Kibbutz Almog guesthouse near the Dead Sea, police said in a statement.
The Birthright organization brings young Jewish adults aged 18-26 on 10-day trips to Israel, where they they tour the country’s highlights and meet young Israelis with the aim of boosting identity with their Jewish heritage.
After a number of trip participants reported thefts of their belongings while they were staying at the Almog facility, police launched an investigation. A combination of undercover operations and sleuthing led police to the suspects, all in their 20s and residents of the central region of the country. They were arrested over the past two weeks, police say in a statement.
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