Israel Police in the North confiscated around 200 illegal weapons and arrested over 200 suspects over the last few weeks in a major crackdown on crime in Arab communities, a police spokesperson announced on Friday.
Since the start of the year, police have been conducting Operation “On Target,” a series of focused raids on known criminal forces within the Arab community.
The weapons confiscated during these raids ranged from pistols to rifles to explosives. Those arrested were under suspicion for crimes including violent actions, shooting incidents, and extortion.
Police also announced on Friday that they had arrested three suspects for the murder of a man in a Bedouin village on Thursday.
In Segev Shalom, an individual identified as Farid Abu Mubarak was rushed to the Soroka Medical Center in critical condition after sustaining piercing wounds to his upper body.
Police opened an investigation and located the three suspects, all in their 30s. One was caught in the Segev Shalom, while the other two were found in a car at Gush Etzion Junction.
Another man was arrested by police on Friday after an M16 was found in his car.
The man, a resident of Na’ura, was pulled over after he was spotted smoking marijuana while driving. Upon searching his car, police found the gun under the backseat.
The driver was arrested and taken by police for further investigation. It was also revealed that he did not possess a valid driver’s license at the time.
Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.