Two Israeli Women Arrested in Namibia With Fake Passports

Israeli residents Mali and Liel Jahalomi, who went missing last summer and triggered extensive international searches, were arrested today in Namibia on suspicion of possessing forged passports. Israeli authorities anticipate that the Israel Police will be asked to join the investigation into the incident, according to Israel Hayom. The arrest in Africa comes just months after the pair's escape attempt last August. Mali, 50, and Liel, 23, disappeared after flying to Prague and then proceeding to Vienna. They emptied an apartment they had rented in Austria and left their phones near a train station. After a week of searches conducted by the Lahav 433 unit in cooperation with foreign entities, they were located unharmed on a bus en route to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The investigation at the time revealed that the disappearance was a pre-planned act carried out of their own free will. The two traveled from Vienna to Germany and then to South America, withdrew funds, deleted tracking applications, and purchased alternative phones that did not require identification. In an intercepted communication, Liel wrote to her mother, "I will go with you anywhere," and a senior police official stated at the time, "Mali simply wanted to disappear from the world." In Argentina, the mother and daughter were released after questioning when police determined there was "no suspicion of terrorism" and "no suspicion of wrongdoing on their part." They claimed the motive for their actions was "personal" circumstances and refused to elaborate. During their absence, the family had to raise funds to support the search efforts.