Palestinian nabbed for posing as Arab Israeli to work as armed guard at Holon mall

Police arrest West Bank resident while he’s working, after Nazareth man complained an impersonator took out a gun license in his name

Illustrative: A police car at the scene of a crime. (Israel Police)
Illustrative: A police car at the scene of a crime. (Israel Police)

A Palestinian from the West Bank has been arrested for posing as an Arab Israeli man to work as an armed guard at a mall in Holon.

Police said they opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from a Nazareth resident who alleged an imposter took out a gun license in his name for a security company.

Officers then went to the mall in Holon, a suburb of Tel Aviv, where they arrested the suspect as he was working Thursday.

A police statement described him as a 36-year-old resident of Dura, near Hebron in the southern West Bank, but did not name him.

“This case evokes difficult feelings, from deep embarrassment to real concern over the way authorized officials handled the suspect,” Tel Aviv Magistrate Court Judge Ala Masarwa ruled at a remand hearing, noting he is accused of obtaining a gun license and employment under false pretenses.

“He posed as an Israeli with a criminal past and who has also racked up convictions for property crime, violence and fraud,” the judge added.

He also ordered the suspect remain in custody until Monday.

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