Five Police Officers Investigated for Kidnapping, Assault in Eilat

The Police Investigation Department (Mahash) is investigating five police officers under caution for alleged kidnapping, aggravated assault, and obstruction of justice following an incident in Eilat. The officers are suspected of apprehending a citizen at a club in the city after he allegedly harassed a woman. Mahash suspects the officers handcuffed the man and drove him to a secluded area under the guise of police activity. There, they allegedly assaulted him, causing severe injuries, before leaving him injured at the scene. The incident, which came to light about two months ago, involved a 38-year-old complainant from the Hebrew community. He told ynet at the time that he believed he was being taken to a police station but was instead driven to the mountains and beaten, losing his front teeth and sustaining widespread injuries. The police initially stated that officers approached the man following a complaint and that he did not comply with their instructions. They also claimed that an initial review did not support allegations of violent conduct by the officers. Following their investigation on Monday, the five officers were placed under house arrest until Thursday and are prohibited from contacting each other or visiting police stations for 11 days. The Mahash investigation is ongoing.