Israeli Mother and Daughter Arrested in Namibia with Fake Passports

Mali and Lial Yalomi, an Israeli mother and daughter who had been missing for weeks, were arrested in Namibia on suspicion of possessing forged passports. Israeli police were informed of the arrest as part of ongoing cooperation between law enforcement agencies. Namibian authorities made the arrest and are conducting the investigation, with Israeli police prepared to offer assistance if needed.

Mali, 50, and Lial, 23, from the Modi'in area, initially traveled to Prague on August 4, 2026, and then to Vienna, where contact was lost on August 7. Their phones were later found near a Vienna train station, and their apartment was empty. The Israeli embassy in Vienna issued a public appeal for help in finding them.

The investigation was transferred to the Lahav 433 unit, and the family raised funds for the search. The disappearance sparked rumors, including a connection to Jerusalem Bank, whose stock price dropped significantly before the bank denied any unusual activity. On August 14, a week after they vanished, the mother and daughter were located on an intercity bus heading to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in an operation by the Israeli Police's Intelligence Division with local police assistance.

Authorities stated they were healthy and unharmed, and were released after questioning. It was determined there was no suspicion of terrorism or wrongdoing on their part, and that they had intentionally cut off contact. Police sources indicated the disappearance was planned, with the pair traveling from Vienna to Germany and then to South America, acquiring new phones, deleting tracking apps, and withdrawing money beforehand. In a message to her mother, Lial wrote, "I will go with you anywhere." A senior police source commented, "Mali simply wanted to disappear from the world." When apprehended, the two stated the circumstances were "personal" and declined to elaborate.