Video Shows Kidnapping Suspect With 10-Year-Old Boy

A video has emerged showing 10-year-old Yahli from Petah Tikva with the man suspected of kidnapping him. Yahli had been missing for hours before being located in Bnei Brak alongside a 20-year-old Jewish man from Jerusalem. Both were brought to the Petah Tikva police station overnight, where the suspect was arrested and detained. He will appear in court as the investigation continues.

Yahli's mother, Shiran Shabtai Sofer, told ynet that her son initially felt pity for the suspect, believing him to be in distress. "Only now is he understanding the magnitude of the event," she said. She explained that the incident began when the suspect approached a group of children playing, threatened them for money, and then asked for directions to Bnei Brak. Yahli, who stayed behind out of sympathy, was manipulated by the suspect, who claimed to have been kicked out of his home and have no money. The suspect then used Yahli to collect donations, receiving 100 shekels from someone, before boarding a bus to Bnei Brak with the boy.

Shabtai Sofer recounted how her son was eventually found through tracking the suspect's phone, following a report of them being seen in Bnei Brak. She described the community's swift response, with neighbors helping to locate Yahli. The police stated that officers from the Petah Tikva station initiated a search after receiving a report of the child's disappearance and conducted extensive searches using technological means. Officers from the Bnei Brak station located the minor and the Jerusalem resident in Bnei Brak. An investigation has been opened to clarify the circumstances of the incident.