IDF soldiers rob a gas station with a knife
Police arrests four Bedouin residents, including 3 IDF soldiers, who were recorded threatening the gas station's clerk and his girlfriend with a knife and a pepper spray before looting the store.
Police have arrested four suspects earlier this month, three of whom serve in the IDF, on suspicion of robbing a convenience store in the southern city of Arad.
The arrests of the suspects, Bedouin residents from the Negev, were extended and the Police Prosecution Department said that it intends to issue indictment recommendations.
At the end of last month, the police received a report at around 4:30pm about the robbery.
A preliminary police investigation revealed that two suspects arrived at the convenience store wearing masks and in possession of a large knife. They then threatened the clerk and his girlfriend at the premises.
One of the suspects crossed the counter to the cash register and loaded up a large quantity of products, including tobacco, perfumes, watches and various mobile devices.
As the robber flled up his bag of stolen goods, a second suspect waved a knife and a pepper spray at the clerk and his girlfriend, telling them not to move.
As a result, the clerk's girlfriend collapsed—but not medical treatment was required—and the suspects fled the scene driving an escape vehicle parked outside the store.
During the investigation, the police discovered the identity of the two suspects and two additional suspects, one of whom is suspected of clearing the robber's escape route, while the other is suspected of driving the escape vehicle.
The four, all 20 years of age, are residents of the Negev Bedouin towns Kuseifeh and Lakiya, and Nokdim, a community settlement in the West Bank.
In the police search of the suspects' homes, some of the allegedly stolen property, and the suspects' clothes were seized. Their arrest was extended again and again, and they are facing indictments.
According to a statement made by the police, "the Israel Police is making an effort to ensure the safety of law-abiding citizens and their property. The police are constantly conducting investigations and arrests of all those suspected of obstructing the lives of law-abiding citizens and their surroundings.
"The police's fight against serious crime persists. This is a persistent and resolute fight carried out in various ways, sometimes by using hidden investigative and operational techniques," the statement concluded.
