IDF soldier suspected of stealing weapons from army base on Election Day
He had no trouble demanding the weapons, as he was impersonating an officer at the time.
By MAARIV ONLINEIDF soldiers complete urban warfare training at the Israel National Urban Training Center in Tze’elim(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An IDF soldier is being investigated for allegedly stealing weapons from a Paratroopers Brigade training base on Election Day, and then selling the stolen weapons to a Palestinian. He succeeded by impersonating an officer.When he approached the main gate of the base on Tuesday afternoon, the soldier wasn't properly asked for identification, granting him access past the first checkpoint and into the base as he allegedly pretended to be an officer.Then, he wandered around the base, after failing to enter one of the buildings.He eventually found a soldier who was sick, demanding that he hand over his weapons for inspection, saying that he will return it as soon as he is done.He had no trouble getting the weapons this way, as he was impersonating an officer at the time.Once he got hold of the weapon, he disassembled it so that all the different parts fit into his backpack. Then he walked out of the base.The whole operation was complete within an hour.In all of 2020, some 80 firearms were stolen from the IDF, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee announced in late January. The number of inspections have increased in response.Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
