Police Foil Five Car Thefts in North Tel Aviv, Arrest Five Suspects

Police in northern Tel Aviv have thwarted five car thefts since the beginning of the week, arresting five suspects who were in Israel illegally. Among those arrested is a 16-year-old minor. Authorities suspect that the individuals were acting under the direction of other parties to carry out the thefts.

The latest incident occurred Tuesday night when police received a report of a stolen vehicle in north Tel Aviv. Officers from the Tel Aviv North station, part of the Yarkon district, initiated a search and located the car shortly thereafter in a parking lot near Hayarkon Park. A suspect, identified as a resident of the territories present in Israel illegally, was found near the vehicle. Police reported finding a key fob on the suspect that could open the car, leading to his arrest and transfer for interrogation.

A police source told Maariv that these are individuals present in Israel without legal status who are allegedly being used by other entities to commit the thefts. The source used a derogatory term, referring to them as "monkeys" brought in to perform the thefts under someone else's direction. The source also mentioned another incident that morning where a stolen car was found in the Rokach parking lot with a suspect apprehended nearby, also in possession of a key fob.

These five incidents mark the fifth time this week that officers from the station have successfully intercepted a car theft in progress. The other four incidents occurred in the neighborhoods of Neot Afeka, Yehuda Halevi, Levi Eshkol, Ben-Dan, and Ramat Aviv.