Palestinian Suspect Arrested After Chase at Azrieli Mall for Phone Theft Spree

A Palestinian suspect was arrested Thursday night after a dramatic chase inside Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, where police say he had stolen mobile phones from shoppers. The arrest came after detectives from the Hebron Station in the Judea and Samaria District, working with Tel Aviv police, tracked him down during a covert operation.

According to Israel Police, the man, a resident of Dahariya in his 30s, is suspected of a series of phone thefts carried out in recent weeks at malls, beaches, and from soldiers riding public transportation after operational duty. Investigators said he cynically targeted tired soldiers during their rides and took their devices.

Police said the operation followed careful intelligence gathering by Hebron detectives, who identified the main suspect and his methods. After a report of several phones stolen from a Tel Aviv mall, officers quickly reviewed security camera footage, identified the suspect, and found him at Azrieli Mall. When he noticed the police, he fled through the crowd and escalator area, endangering shoppers.

The pursuit ended when an intelligence and undercover detective leapt on him on the escalator and arrested him in front of bystanders. The suspect, who was in Israel illegally, was transferred to the Tel Aviv District for questioning on suspicion of multiple phone thefts and unlawful presence in Israel. Police said the case is part of a broader wave of phone thefts in the Tel Aviv and central Israel area, and cited previous joint work between districts as key to prosecuting offenders who operate across regions.