Last update - 00:00 08/01/2007
IAF soldier arrested for allegedly trying to sabotage F-16 plane
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Military police on Monday arrested an Israel Air Force soldier suspected of trying to sabotage an F-16 fighter plane.
The soldier, who serves on an air force base in the south, has denied all allegations against him.
During a routine inspection of the plane before take-off a month and a half ago, an IAF mechanic found flammable materials attached near the plane's engine.
Military sources said that, according to expert opinion, the materials were pushed off during take-off and could not have exploded the plane.
Nevertheless, the base commander decided to open a Military Police Investigation into the matter as an "educational act" for other soldiers.
The soldier has been arrested for allegedly devising the plan, though a motive is not yet clear.
Some two months ago a soldier in an air force base in the north was arrested for sabotaging a plane. Military police opened an investigation and charged the soldier in connection with the crime. A similar incident occurred last year with a different soldier.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said, "the soldier has been arrested and an investigation has been opened against him. If it becomes clear that the suspicions against him are true, it will be considered very serious and we will deal with it accordingly."