Man held over TikTok content expressing ‘serious incitement to murder’ PM

40-year-old Beersheba resident questioned about material posted on social media; will be brought before court for remand hearing

Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Jerusalem, February 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset, Jerusalem, February 7, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A man was arrested on suspicion of “serious incitement to murder” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, police said Sunday.

The suspect, a 40-year-old Beersheba resident, was taken for questioning by the cyber branch of the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 unit over content he posted on the TikTok social media app.

He will be brought before the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court after the interrogation for a hearing to potentially extend his custody.

Police did not elaborate on the specific content that the suspect posted.

Netanyahu and other senior lawmakers have been the target of numerous threats in recent years amid an increasingly tense political climate.

Several accusations have been made against the police for opening questionable investigations amid an alleged crackdown on free speech since war broke out following the October 7 atrocities by the Hamas terror group and the subsequent war.

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