Hebron
HebronWisam Hashlamoun/Flash 90

Police on Friday arrested a Palestinian Arab from the Hebron area who stayed in Israel illegally, pretended to Israeli and was employed as an armed security guard in a shopping mall in Holon.

The arrest was made after a complaint was received from a resident of Nazareth, who warned that someone was holding a license to possess a weapon under his name. The complainant said he had received a notification through mail, even though he never applied for such a license.

An investigation found that the license was issued through a security company in Holon. Officers then located the suspect who impersonated the complainant as he was working in a Holon mall as a security guard. A gun and cartridges with bullets, which he received for his work from the security company, were found in the possession of the suspect.

The suspect initially identified himself through the fake documentation with the complainant's details, but when he was checked through the police systems, it became clear that he is an illegal alien and is a resident of the Palestinian Authority-assigned territories.

The suspect has a past criminal record, including a recent conviction for impersonation, for which he served a prison sentence and is subject to a suspended sentence.

The suspect was interrogated and confessed that he purchased a fake identity card by which he impersonated the complainant.

The suspect, a 36-year-old resident of the city of Dura, southwest of Hebron, was arrested and brought to a police station for questioning. He was later brought before a judge who extended his detention until June 5.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)