Three Young Men Charged with Violent Robbery and Kidnapping in Haifa

The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against three young men from Bat Yam, Haifa, and Kiryat Yam for a violent robbery and kidnapping incident involving two other young men. The attack took place on June 5 in an apartment in Haifa, where the victims were assaulted with punches and kicks, threatened with a knife, and one was sprayed with tear gas after refusing to hand over his phone. The assailants, identified as Leon Tsibulansky, David Verwa, and Daniel Afonin, forced the victims to provide access codes to their phones, checked their bank apps, and found 1,200 shekels in one victim's account.

Following this discovery, the perpetrators compelled the victims to walk nearly two kilometers to a bank ATM on Sderot HaNasi in Haifa, threatening to kill them if they did not cooperate. To conceal the signs of violence, the victims were forced to wash blood off their faces, change bloodstained shirts, and wear masks. At the ATM, one victim withdrew the money and handed it over to the attackers, who then threw the victims' phones over a fence and fled.

The indictment includes charges of aggravated robbery, kidnapping, extortion by force and threats, and assault causing serious injury. The victims suffered bruises, cuts, and one required medical treatment. During the attack, the assailants issued severe threats such as "I will cut your faces" and "I haven't stabbed anyone in a long time." The case is now before the Haifa District Court.