Man Arrested for Violent Robbery Outside Tel Aviv Bank

A man in his 30s from Kiryat Gat was arrested and brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Sunday, suspected of a violent robbery that occurred overnight near a Discount Bank branch in central Tel Aviv. According to police, the suspect allegedly attacked two individuals, causing one to sustain an eye injury. He then reportedly threatened a 66-year-old man with a stick, demanding his mobile phone.

Bystanders intervened, apprehending the suspect and holding him until police arrived. Officers from the Lev Tel Aviv station arrested the man nearby, reportedly with the stolen phone in his possession. Police are seeking security camera footage from the area to reconstruct the incident.

The suspect's defense attorney presented a different account in court, claiming the man only wanted to use a phone to call his mother for a code to withdraw money. However, it was noted that the suspect did not provide this explanation to the police during his initial interrogation. A drug test administered to the suspect came back negative.

Police requested a seven-day remand, citing the robbery charge and concerns about the suspect's dangerousness and potential to obstruct the investigation. The court ordered his detention extended by two days, until September 1.