KUALA LUMPUR – Israeli news outlets have identified the armed Israeli man who was arrested in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday as Shalom Avitan, an associate of the Musli brothers crime family.
According to a report by the Times of Israel, Avitan was en route to assassinate Eran Haya, the head of a rival crime group.
"Both syndicates have been involved in violent disputes for months. According to Channel 12, Avitan's house in the upscale neighbourhood of Bavli, Tel Aviv, has been targeted by several hand grenades thrown by Haya's associates.
"The incident was reported in mid-March, believed to be before Haya allegedly entered Malaysia," it said.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain confirmed that police arrested an Israeli man along with six pistols at a hotel on Jalan Ampang, here, last week.
He said checks by the authorities found that the 36-year-old man entered Malaysia via Kuala Lumpur International Airport with a French passport on March 12.
The suspect claimed he came to Malaysia to find an Israeli citizen to kill, supposedly due to a family issue, Razarudin said.
He added that the suspect did not want to reveal his true job and did not rule out whether the man was linked to Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
He also said authorities here had been hyper vigilant since the Israel-Palestine war broke out, especially when it came to ensuring the safety of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and other dignitaries.
The top cop added that among the brands of pistols seized were Glock, Smith & Wesson; Sig Sauer and Stoeger.
Police also believe that the suspect is not alone and has acquaintances here.
Yesterday, Razarudin confirmed the arrest of three individuals, all locals, on suspicion of connections with the Israeli suspect. These included a couple accused of selling firearms to Avitan and a man reported to have been his driver since his arrival. – March 31, 2024
The post Armed Israeli nabbed in KL identified as mob-linked Shalom Avitan, says news report appeared first on Scoop.
