Tel Aviv Film Shoot Sparks Panic After Actor Seen Carrying Real Gun

Residents of Tel Aviv panicked on Sunday after a man was seen walking through city streets with a drawn handgun, prompting numerous calls to police from frightened passersby who feared a terror attack. Officers from the Yarkon police district rushed to the scene after reports to emergency line 100.

When police arrived, they discovered the incident was part of a film shoot, but real firearms had been used unlawfully. According to the police, the director handed his personal licensed pistol to an actor who does not hold a weapons permit, and the actor then carried the gun openly in public.

Police said Israeli law forbids transferring a weapon to someone without a license. Both the director and the actor were detained for questioning and later released under restrictive conditions. A police officer described the episode as “a serious incident that could have ended in disaster.”

The officer added that the scene caused alarm because residents believed it might be an attack. He said the team was surprised to find it was a film production and noted that the director had passed his gun to an unlicensed actor, who possessed it illegally.