A Bedouin security guard was sentenced to a four month suspended prison sentence – after he tried to steal an IDF tank and sell it for scrap metal.
The incident that landed Uda Abu-Gliden in court Monday occurred some two years ago, when he was employed as a security guard at the IDF base in Tze'elim in the southern Negev. Taking advantage of his access to the base, IDF officials told the court, Abu-Gliden arrived at the base one night, equipped with a large truck and welding tools. Working through the night, he dissected a large tank, loading up the truck with tank parts and pieces. The tank was not active, and was used by air force ground troops as a “practice target.”
Abu-Gliden was able to work uninterrupted, and actually managed to leave the base. Unfortunately for him, police stopped him on his way home, and discovered the contraband cargo in his truck. When confronted by police, Abu-Gliden claimed that he had not stolen the tank pieces, but had actually been given permission by the base commander to cart away “trash.” A quick check with his supervisor, though, confirmed that Abu-Gliden had been lying – and that he had actually stolen the tank.
That was the story Abu-Gliden and his attorney stuck to when the security guard was indicted. In court, Abu-Gliden's attorney said that his client had not stolen anything, but was guilty only of trying to “do a favor” for his supervisors, who were looking to get rid of the “trash.”
Police sought a stiff punishment for Abu-Gliden, but the defendant's attorney asked for leniency, saying that the incident had occurred two years ago – a position the court accepted. In its decision, the court called Abu-Gliden's actions “serious,” but since so much time had passed since the incident, the court said that a suspended sentence was appropriate. Abu-Gliden was also fined NIS 3,000, and ordered to pay damages of NIS 1,000.
Police were up in arms over the decision, a spokesperson said. A senior officer was quoted as saying that culprits such as Abu-Gliden kept illicit scrap metal dealers in business, by supplying them with material. The spokesperson sharply criticized the sentence, saying that the courts needed to be much tougher in order to stem the plague of metal theft, which was damaging Israel's infrastructure and causing great damage to the IDF.