Thief caught on camera (illustrative)
Thief caught on camera (illustrative)iStock

Indictments were filed Sunday against two individuals suspected of breaking into a synagogue and apartment in the southern city of Be'er Sheva.

Investigations showed that the suspects, aged 19 and 28, entered a synagogue on Be'er Sheva's Heshin Street when it was open to worshipers and remained hidden in one of the synagogue's rooms until prayer services had ended and the synagogue was locked.

At the chosen hour, the suspects broke the synagogue's wooden charity box, stole an unknown sum of money from it, removed a safe from the wall, and left the synagogue via one of its windows.

In another incident, the two broke into a synagogue on Be'er Sheva's David Alro'i Street.

In that incident, the two entered via the door to the women's section, and from there they climbed through a window in the wall separating the women from the men and into the synagogue's hall. There, they opened a safe which held thousands of shekels, stealing the contents.

During the investigation, a suspicion came up that in addition to breaking and entering and stealing from the synagogues, the suspects also broke into a home in Be'er Sheva's Nahal Ashan neighborhood after noticing a key left in the lock. The two copied the key, returning the original to the lock, and later broke into the house by using their copied key, stealing valuable jewelry and other items.

Following the investigations, Israel Police filed an indictment against them and requested their arrest be extended until conclusion of the proceedings against them.