The fight against extortion “sponsorship fees” in the communities of the Upper Galilee: Early in the morning (Wednesday), an announcement was received at the Israel Police’s Hotline 100 about hearing an explosion and a vehicle on fire in the Tel Hai neighborhood of Kiryat Shmona. Israeli police officers rushed to the scene, collected findings and opened an investigation which revealed that a police vehicle had been set on fire and in addition a grenade had been thrown that caused damage to a vehicle parked nearby.
Northern District Commander Superintendent Shimon Lavi responded to the incident and said: “We are prepared for a powerful, ongoing and stubborn fight against criminal organizations in the north that undermine the sense of security of the citizens.
At a press conference held earlier this week, Lavi also referred to the other incidents in which police vehicles were set on fire and two investigation offices in the north were broken into: ” We have a way, we have a goal in the end to eliminate the criminal organizations. ”
“Whoever thinks it’s a prescription or that there is some prescription that can give some short-term cure, then he is wrong. It is a long struggle with a lot of scars, with a lot of beatings on the wing. We are determined, understand and know, and see the end in the end.”
He added: “In the past week, an indictment was filed by the Northern Attorney’s Office in the shooting case against the banks. Anyone who thinks that the massive serial shooting at bank branches in the northern district was due to dissatisfaction with the banking services in the State of Israel, so he is wrong. The shooting at the banks as a state emblem was to convey a message to the police from the criminal organizations, get off our backs. We will not get off anyone’s back. We are determined to address their criminal organizations that have the most central impact on public safety. ”
“It may be an organization that wants to signal to the police to get off”
The serious incident of violence joins a series of attacks on police property – mobility and offices, in the past week. Three police vehicles have caught fire in recent days – a car in the locality of Yesod HaMaala and two police vehicles in Hatzor HaGlilit and Safed. In all three cases, findings were collected from the arenas and the police opened an investigation together with fire investigators from the fire brigade.
Following the incidents, a senior member of the Northern District Police told Israel Today today: “There have been isolated incidents, but such a sequence of events is unusual. All directions of the investigation are examined, and we will examine whether there is a connection between them. In a criminal organization that wants to signal to the police to get out of it. “