Malaysian police arrest Israeli man: Mobster or Mossad agent?

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Israeli media
31 Mar 2024 20:15
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Shalom Avitan possessed a forged French passport, 6 firearms, gloves, and 200 bullets when arrested in Malaysia.

The passports of Israeli suspect Shalom Avitan, as well as the equipment he had possessed and his mugshot, are seen in this illustration posted following his arrest in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Social media)

Malaysian authorities arrested an Israeli who may be working for Israeli intelligence agencies, the Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said on Saturday, as quoted by The Times of Israel.

The 36-year-old man, identified as Shalom Avitan, was arrested earlier this week at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. He was found in possession of six pistols and 200 bullets. Initially, he presented authorities with a French passport and later handed in his Israeli passport during investigations.

Authorities also arrested three people suspected of supplying Avitan with firearms and transport in Malaysia. According to Israeli media outlets, Avitan is part of an Israeli gang, dubbed the Musli brothers crime family. He alleges that he arrived in Malaysia to assassinate Eran Haya, head of a rival crime family. Originally, he had arrived from the United Arab Emirates on March 12.

However, authorities in Kuala Lumpur have taken the story with a grain of salt, saying that they do not trust his narrative.

"We do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect there may be another agenda," Razarudin said, adding that the man had stayed at several hotels while in Malaysia.

Avitan has paid for the firearms with cryptocurrency and could face up to 25 years in jail if convicted of the crimes he committed, including the possession of a forged passport, possession of firearms, and conspiracy to murder.

If the suspicion of the Israeli's affiliation with Israeli spy agencies is confirmed to be true, Avitan faces more severe punishment.

The Israeli embassy in Singapore has yet to respond to requests for comment from media outlets.

It is worth noting that Malaysia has never established relations with the Israeli regime and has been a long-time supporter of Palestine. The country is not new to the espionage and assassination plots of the Israeli Mossad, as it witnessed the kidnapping and murder of Hamas member and scholar, Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh in 2018.