Suspect arrested by police for posing as IDF soldier

Lina PortmanJune 5, 2024

3 1 minute read

Police arrested a 19-year-old Abu Ghosh resident on suspicion of impersonating an IDF soldier and conducted an interview as such on social media, police said Wednesday.

In the interview, the suspect denigrated Israel and the IDF and claimed that systematic killings of women, children and babies were being carried out daily in the Gaza Strip, police added.

The interview received a lot of attention and garnered many views.

Following an investigation, police arrested the suspect on Tuesday evening and transferred him to a local police station.

Police said they would ask the court on Wednesday to extend his arrest.

A soldier wears his new pin (Courtesy of the IDF SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)

Previous incidents of identity theft

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, there have been numerous cases of individuals posing as soldiers.

In January, an Israeli man was indicted for posing as an IDF captain on October 7, gaining access to and sharing highly classified information.

In December, another person was charged with posing as an IDF soldier to try to join the war. He also stole ammunition and reportedly posed for a photo with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In another incident in December, an indictment was filed against five East Jerusalem residents for posing as IDF soldiers and raiding a Palestinian police station.

Reuters and Shlomi Heller contributed to this article.