Police wiretap helps implicate rioters at Supreme Court Justice Solberg’s home

Police used a sting and recorded a conversation between two suspects in the riot outside the home of Deputy President of the Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg in Alon Shvut, after prosecutors filed indictments on Sunday against four ultra-Orthodox demonstrators. In the call, the two discussed their fear of confessing, and both effectively admitted entering the property. One said, “I was there! I was in the yard!” while the other acknowledged, “I was in the car parking area,” and also admitted he had lied during questioning. One suspect asked, “Do they have a picture?” and said, “They have a picture, but I did nothing.” The other replied that he was afraid, but “I am much more afraid of confessing.”

The indictment names Nachman Platnik, 20, Avraham Fried, 20, Gershon Hanun, 21, and Shimon Atf, 41, all charged with rioting. Based on the recorded conversation, two of them are also charged with trespass after admitting they entered Solberg’s driveway. Prosecutors also requested that they remain in custody until the end of proceedings.

In their detention request, the state said the case involves a “serious, unusual and unprecedented incident,” describing an “violent riot outside a judge’s home” that included damage to property and occurred because of his judicial role at the Supreme Court. According to the indictment, the crowd smashed windows, damaged a car and other property, threw stones at the house, blocked the road leading to it for periods of time, and some participants entered the yard and adjacent parking area.

The complaint also says leaflets and flags were thrown, one of Solberg’s neighbors was attacked, and a police vehicle that arrived had to pull back after demonstrators ran toward it shouting. The investigation into the remaining suspects is continuing under the Judea and Samaria District police unit.