not everywhere· Security· Updated
False Arrest in Namibia Sparks Renewed Distress in Missing Persons Case
Israeli authorities confirmed on Wednesday that a mother and daughter arrested in Namibia are not Mali and Liel Yahalomi, who disappeared from Israel two months ago. The clarification corrected earlier reports that the missing Israelis had been apprehended at a Namibian airport while attempting to leave the country with forged documents.
4 newsrooms · 1 language · since
What happened
- 01Israeli authorities confirmed on Wednesday that a mother and daughter arrested in Namibia are not the missing Israelis Mali and Liel Yahalomi.
- 02The detained individuals are reportedly an Iranian mother and her 14-year-old daughter who were carrying forged Israeli passports.
- 03A Chabad emissary in Namibia, Rabbi Yosef Rahimi, visited the detainees and confirmed they spoke Persian and English but no Hebrew.
- 04The Israel Police verified the mistaken identity after an Israeli representative abroad obtained and reviewed photos of the arrested women.
- 05The Yahalomi family expressed deep distress and frustration over the false reports and repeated misinformation regarding the case.
- 06Mali and Liel Yahalomi had previously been located in Argentina after voluntarily cutting off contact with their family in August.
- 07Following the clarification of the arrests in Namibia, the current whereabouts of the Yahalomi mother and daughter remain unknown.
The individuals detained in Namibia are reportedly an Iranian mother, approximately 40 years old, and her 14-year-old daughter. The two were apprehended with forged Israeli passports and initially claimed to be Israeli during their interrogation. However, Rabbi Yosef Rahimi, a local Chabad emissary who visited them at the police station to bring food and water, physically identified them as not being the Yahalomis, noting that they spoke Persian and some English but no Hebrew.
The Israel Police confirmed the mistaken identity after an Israeli police representative abroad contacted Namibian authorities and reviewed photos of the arrested women. The false report caused renewed distress for the Yahalomi family, who criticized the repeated misinformation and errors in the case.
The Yahalomi mother and daughter had previously cut off contact with their family in August while abroad, prompting a police report. They were later located in Argentina, where an Israeli police representative met and questioned them, and they stated they had severed contact voluntarily. Following the dismissal of the lead in Namibia, their current whereabouts remain unknown.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Israel Hayom. Read Israel Hayom’s originalThe coverage
4 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- Centre1
- Right2
- Haredi1
- ArabNone
Not in the Left or Arab press
