Jerusalem, Israel – Two Arabs Held for Plot to Kidnap and Murder Haredim

Jerusalem, Israel – Two Arab residents of Jerusalem are under arrest for trying to kidnap and murder haredim in the city.

The two were apprehended by a joint police – Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) sting operation. A court gag order on the case was lifted this afternoon.

The two men, Iman Salhav and his cousin Hitem Salhav, both in their early 30s, planned to kidnap and murder haredi residents of Jerusalem and use their bodies as bargaining chips to win the release of Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

The two have past criminal records and have confessed.

The two men were enlisted to carry out the kidnapping and murder by a Gaza resident who used to live in the Jerusalem area in exchange for several thousand shekels. They were supposed to kidnap a haredi resident of Jerusalem, murder him, bury him, and then publicize his ID card in order to bring about the release of jailed Palestinian prisoners from the Islamic Jihad. The two suspects scouted several Jerusalem neighborhoods — including Neve Yaakov, Givat Shaul, Har Nof, and Beit Hakerem — in one of their vehicles and offered haredim rides.

They told police interrogators they had selected haredim for their targets because "they are known to hitchhike" and "they are certainly Jewish."

None of the haredim accepted their offer of a ride and the two then planned to force a haredi into their car at gunpoint, but were subsequently arrested by police before they were able to carry out their planned attack.

Police asked the court to remand them in custody for the duration of the trial. [J-Post]