North Council Head's Arrest Extended Amid Extortion Probe

A Haifa Magistrate's Court extended the arrest of Ahad Rahal, 55, the head of the Al-Battuf Regional Council and a former police officer decorated for bravery, by three additional days on Sunday. Rahal was arrested last Monday on suspicion of involvement in a serious case of extortion, specifically collecting protection money from construction sites in northern Israel. Judge Boris Sherman ruled that the suspicions against Rahal have strengthened since his initial arrest, noting that the investigation file and secret reports indicate a well-founded suspicion that a company directly linked to Rahal collects substantial sums for security services it does not actually provide. The judge stated that the suspicion is based on admissible evidence and also pertains to Rahal's role in the suspected activity, even though the company was transferred to his son's ownership. Rahal is suspected of managing one of the security companies used as an accounting front for collecting protection money from contractors. The police have charged him with a lengthy list of offenses including extortion, demanding protection money, exploitation of distress, threats, coercion, fraud, malicious damage to property, conspiracy to commit a crime, and money laundering. He is also suspected of providing security services and working as an unlicensed guard, intentionally omitting income, and tax evasion. Judge Sherman acknowledged the progress of the investigation, a joint effort by Lahav 433 and the Coastal District's Central Unit, stating it is moving at a satisfactory pace with significant new evidence strengthening the suspicions against Rahal. Rahal's defense attorney, Anan Alian, requested his release to house arrest under the supervision of relatives, highlighting Rahal's lack of prior convictions and his decorated past as a police officer who prevented a terror attack. Alian argued that the police were repeating previous claims and that key witnesses, including a company clerk and its former owner, had testified. However, Judge Sherman denied the request, citing the significant fear among those involved in the case and the strengthened suspicions, ordering Rahal's continued detention. The investigation, which became public last Monday, has led to the arrest of over 50 suspects in protection money schemes. The court also extended the arrests of other individuals involved in the case who remain in custody.