Thirteen alleged organized crime gang members arrested in Israel

Tel Aviv [Israel], July 31 (ANI/TPS): Thirteen people alleged to be affiliated with organized crime groups were arrested on suspicion of involvement in incidents of arson, stabbing and threats in Beit Shemesh, a town near Jerusalem, Israel.
The acts of violence were said to have been carried out as part of an ongoing conflict between crime groups.
The arrests came after the central police unit in the Jerusalem district uncovered serious violent incidents in the city of Beit Shemesh that occurred as part of an ongoing conflict between criminal gangs.
On June 2, 2023, late at night, a restaurant that was closed at that time in the city of Beit Shemesh, and owned by a person close to one of the crime families, was set on fire. Following the fire, a police investigation was opened.
A rival crime family tried to enact revenge for the arson.
On June 4, 2023, a number of suspects went towards the home of the head of the rival family, where they met the man guarding the apartment and threatened to shoot him. They dragged him into the residence in Beit Shemesh, beat him, choked him and stabbed him in the waist and legs. The attackers set fire to the apartment and fled, and the man who was stabbed managed to escape from the scene and went to receive medical treatment at the hospital in a moderate condition.
The police investigation revealed that the acts of violence were committed against the background of an ongoing financial dispute concerning suspected criminal activity between two rival families. (ANI/TPS)