According to the police, the group exerted control over tenders issued by the state, local authorities, and even private enterprises, with operations stretching across the country.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli authorities plan to file indictments against Latif Abu Latif, the alleged head of one of Israel’s most powerful criminal organizations, and 11 of his associates, the Attorney General’s office announced on Sunday morning.

The suspects — described as senior operatives, managers, and activists in the Abu Latif crime organization — are accused of blackmail, tax offenses, and large-scale money laundering.

Prosecutors say the group systematically extorted contractors and developers who had won or bid on infrastructure tenders, often threatening them to secure dominance over public and private projects.

“This is a violent and deeply rooted criminal organization that built a monopoly through fear,” a police spokesperson said. “They used their reputation for brutality to dominate the field of infrastructure tenders across the country.”

Police officials emphasized the scale and ambition of the criminal enterprise. “What began as local extortion and ‘protection fees’ evolved into a vast network controlling billions in public contracts,” said a senior investigator.

“This investigation is about dismantling a violent monopoly that operated through threats, extortion, and even shootings.”

Investigators estimate that the Abu Latif crime family is responsible for the murder of more than 30 people during the last two years.

The individuals expected to be charged include Latif Abu Latif, Vicky Attiya, Imran Shakir, Mehdi Ismail, Khaled Sharqia, Salah Gadaban, Abd Khatib, Ahmed Suleiman, Adham Hassan, Salim Shakur, Nissim Amira, and Ashraf Halabi.

According to the police, the group exerted control over tenders issued by the state, local authorities and even private enterprises.

“Their activities were not limited to one region — they were targeting tenders in towns and cities across the country,” the spokesperson added.

The suspects were arrested over a month ago in a sweeping operation involving 1,000 officers. A total of 36 people were detained during the raid, including Abu Latif himself.

In the aftermath, police showcased a fleet of luxury vehicles seized from the organization, including Maserati, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, and Range Rover models—symbols of the group’s alleged illicit wealth.

The Attorney General’s Office will ask the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court to keep all 12 suspects in custody until the end of legal proceedings.

According to the Abraham Initiative, a non-profit organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society, 58 Israeli-Arabs have been killed in violent crimes in 2025.

The spike is a continuation of 230 murders in 2024. In 2023, a record number of 244 Israeli-Arabs were murdered, more than double the 120 homicides in 2022.

The surge in violence is attributed to organized crime groups fighting turf battles and trying to eliminate rivals.

Arab criminal organizations have been involved in extortion, money laundering, and trafficking in weapons, drugs, and women.

The post Israel targets alleged crime boss behind billion-shekel extortion empire appeared first on World Israel News.

The video captures a heart-stopping chase through a building and onto the roof, where the suspect was finally caught and arrested for attempting to pass explosive devices to extortion rackets.

מנסה לברוח מהגג – ונתפס: תיעוד מעצר האחים שחשודים בהנחת מטעני חבלה וסחיטת פרוטקשן מסוכני ביטוח
(אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/Z6m2W4byou

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 26, 2025

The post WATCH: Israeli police thwart IED smuggling to criminal gangs appeared first on World Israel News.

Police said the 47-year-old suspect was originally arrested for trying to extort money from a widow.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israeli police arrested a Palestinian resident of Hebron hiding in a Jerusalem church for weeks was arrested for fraud, extortion, impersonating others, and illegally being in Israel, it was cleared for publication on Sunday.

Police said the 47-year-old suspect was originally arrested for trying to extort money from a widow after finding intimate photos on her deceased husband’s cell phone.

“This is a Palestinian suspect, a resident of Hebron, who entered Israel illegally and used to pretend to be a different professional every time and thus deceived his many victims and extorted a lot of money from them while taking advantage of their hardships,” said investigator Cpl. Nadav Rapaport.

In a search of the Jerusalem church where the suspect was hiding, police found a large number of credit cards, bags, jewelry, cell phones, passports, and more.

As the investigation continued, investigators found that in addition to entering Israel illegally, the suspect would impersonate his victims, each time as a different professional, to blackmail victims with threats.

In one case, the suspect posed to a widow as a lawyer and promised to take care of her late husband’s inheritance. The woman, in her innocence, gave the suspect her husband’s credit cards, passports, and cell phone and transferred over 500,000 shekels ($137,000) to the suspect.

At some point, the suspect found intimate photos of the woman on the late husband’s cell phone and threatened to publish them if the woman did not transfer money to him.

In another case, the suspect identified himself to a victim as helping to obtain building permits, after finding that the victim was living in a house without building permits. He claimed that for 130 shekels ($35), he could arrange the permits. After the victim paid, the suspect disappeared.

The post Palestinian arrested for extortion, identity theft, illegally hiding in Jerusalem church appeared first on World Israel News.