Israel busts arms network
2006-11-12 14:02
Jerusalem - Police busted a network of Israeli Arabs selling weapons and ammunition to Palestinian militants, a police spokesman said Sunday.
Twelve men were arrested and charged with selling arms to militant cells in the West Bank, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police also seized three assault rifles and 8 000 bullets, he said.
Eight of the men have been charged with weapons trafficking, while four are still being held pending charges, he said.
Rosenfeld would not say where the weapons originated or for which militant organization they were intended.
Arrests for black market weapons deals with militants are not uncommon. In the past, police have uncovered arms rings selling weapons and ammunition stolen by Israeli soldiers to Palestinian groups, and in 2002 police broke up one network that included Israeli settlers.
- SAPA