A military court on Monday filed an indictment against an IDF soldier, attributing to him a laundry list of arms trafficking charges on a large scale.
According to the indictment, the soldier, whose name was not given, allegedly stole thousands of rounds of ammunition and weapons from military bases he served on which he would go on to sell and trade. Prosecutors allege the suspect was planning to steal 50,000 more rounds of ammunition, which he intended to trade for an M16 assault rifle.
The indictment lists 20 different charges against him, including conspiracy to commit a crime, unlawful use of a firearm, and obstruction of justice, among others.
The suspect was apprehended last month at the tail end of a probe into a massive burglary from the Tznobar base in the Golan Heights.
Another suspect, 21-year-old Tamer Ben Majed Hayeb from the Arab town of Tuba-Zangariyye, was also detained by police and hit with arms trafficking charges.
The indictment states the suspect offered Hayeb 50,000 ammo rounds he stole from various military bases in exchange for an M16 and attempted to swipe more ammo with help from fellow soldiers.
"The suspect established an operation to steal military equipment from the IDF and sell it to the highest bidder. He did not come to serve his country but criminals, I've never encountered ammunition theft to such a degree," said Israel Police Chief Inspector Amihai Rave
"We estimate, this lasted for a year at the very least. As part of the investigation into the break-in to Tznobar, we arrested Tamer Ben Majed Hayeb, this opened a Pandora's box and we arrested the soldier who previously served in Tznobar."
The soldier's attorney Youssef Jubran said that his client denies all 20 counts attributed to him.
"He's a normal soldier without any criminal record, son to a bereaved family who lost his grandfather who was killed during his service in the IDF," Jubran said.
Hayeb's attorney Najamah Hayeb said that she has yet to receive the investigation material and that her client also denies the allegation leveled against him.
"We're talking about a normal young man with no criminal background, this is his arrest and it has been very difficult for him," she said.