Israeli MK Tzvi Sukkot Receives Death Threats from East Jerusalem Resident, Police Arrest Suspect

Israeli police arrested a 25-year-old East Jerusalem resident, Tarzan Hammad, on Thursday after he threatened to kill Member of Knesset Tzvi Sukkot, chairman of the Education Committee. Hammad sent Sukkot a message on Facebook containing images of weapons and ammunition, along with a threatening statement saying, "I always have weapons, I travel without security checks, I will kill you when I see you." Following the threats, the Knesset and Israeli police conducted a security assessment and raised the threat level against Sukkot to level 4, increasing his security detail and tightening protective measures.

Sukkot's office indicated that the threats followed a series of visits he made to Arab sector schools as part of his parliamentary work and his campaign against extortion. Multiple threatening messages, including weapon images, were received. Sukkot praised the police for their swift action and emphasized that the threats would not deter him from his public mission. He stated, "Violence, crime, and illegal weapons stockpiles in the Arab sector pose a serious threat to Israeli citizens' security, and I will continue to fight them with full force. Anyone who thinks threats will silence me is mistaken." The suspect is currently under police investigation for the death threats.