Man Charged with Destroying 26 ATMs Across Israel in Two Weeks

The prosecution office of the Emek region filed charges on Tuesday against a 40-year-old resident of the Samaria area for damaging 26 ATMs over a two-week period, causing an estimated 1.5 million shekels in damages. The man is accused of multiple counts of property damage.

Investigator Adham Zoabi from the Tiberias police, who led the investigation, explained that the first complaint was received on August 3 from a manager of a Bank Leumi branch in Tiberias. She reported that six ATMs had been smashed overnight. Police reviewed 24-hour security footage and found the suspect arrived at 4:22 a.m. armed with a stone, which he used to destroy the machines.

Shortly after, similar damage was reported at a Bank Hapoalim branch in the city. Further inquiries revealed heavy damage to ATMs at Bank Discount in Afula and seven machines at a Bank Hapoalim branch in Kfar Saba. The earliest incident linked to the suspect occurred on July 19, when two ATMs were destroyed at a Bank HaPoalim branch in Hod Hasharon.

The suspect was arrested near the Tiberias scene hours after the August 3 incident. He admitted to damaging ATMs at four locations but refused to explain his motives. Due to the severity and risk, police requested his detention until the end of legal proceedings.

Defense attorney Jamal Zangariya, representing the suspect through public defense, stated that the accused has complex life circumstances and that they will respond in court following the indictment submission.