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An owner of a business which sells fireworks from Kiryat Ono was recently arrested on suspicion of selling more than 20,000 fireworks to a resident from eastern Jerusalem, which were likely intended to be used against Israeli security forces.
The deal was allegedly conducted despite the fact that the owner was aware of the buyer’s intention, which was also to harm Jewish residents in East Jerusalem. The intermediary in the deal was also arrested during a police operation.
In total, the three men, including the buyer, were arrested after a months-long undercover police investigation.
The supplier is said to be a 70-year-old man, while the the buyer and the intermediary are both residents of eastern Jerusalem. The arrest of the three suspects was initially extended but the court ordered that they be released and put under house arrest.
The three were apprehended by the police during the transaction, with 690 packs containing 20,700 fireworks worth NIS 103,500.
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690 packs of fireworks
(צילום: דוברות המשטרה)
The Ministry of Labor has revoked the store’s business license following the arrest.
The suspect in the case is known to the police and has purchased fireworks from a Jewish-owned business before for the same purpose. The seller, in that case from Ashdod, also admitted to knowing
the client's intent.
Shooting fireworks at security forces has become a regular occurence in east Jerusalem, prompting in many cases police to conduct waves of arrests in order to catch the suspects.
In the latest incident, the police arrested not only the perpetrators but the suppliers as well.
Yehuda Shushan, the attorney of the suspected intermediary said, “We’re talking about a legal affair which has been blown out of proportion by the Israel Police. My client—who doesn't have a criminal record, bought the fireworks legally for personal use. The accusation that he allegedly was involved in an illegal explosives trade are unfounded.”