Fyodor Beizhneri
Fyodor Beizhneriצילום: מתוך הפייסבוק

Israel Police arrested a 26 year-old Haifa man over a month ago on suspicion of being a serial killer and serial rapist, it was cleared for publication Tuesday. 

Moldovan immigrant Fyodor Beizhneri has been linked to dozens of rape and sexual assault cases all over Israel, police said, and is suspected of murdering at least 4 victims. He is also suspected of arson.

Ashdod Police caught Beizhneri after re-examining a suspicious apartment fire in the city, where a woman was also found dead. Whereas an initial investigation blamed an electrical malfunction for the fire, one detective insisted otherwise - and gathered from witness reports that a man had been in the apartment shortly before the fire, Walla! News reports. DNA at the scene matched to Beizhneri's. 

The seriousness of the case has been such that police took an unusual step: exhuming the body of one possible victim and testing it for traces of Beizhneri's DNA. In another unusual step, three separate police branches have been cooperating on this case.

Meanwhile, police suspect that dozens of victims have not reported their run-ins with Beizhneri to law enforcement, and published his details to encourage woman to come forward, Channel 2 reports. 

Beizhneri's remand has been extended multiple times since last month. 

The police encourage anyone with tips about Beizhneri, or his crimes, to call the Hof branch at 04-8464879.

Public defender and attorney Lior Ronen will represent Beizhneri, and noted to Yediot Aharonot Tuesday night that his client denies all charges against him. He also claims that his client has only been fully linked to one sexual assault case, and that everything will become clear in court.