Last update - 00:00 21/05/2007
Police arrest suspect in string of alleged underworld killings
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel Police have revealed that last week they arrested Eitan Haya, 50, on suspicion of contracting a hit team that carried out a series of murders and attempted murders in the center of Israel in recent years.
The State Prosecutor's office on Tuesday will present an indictment to the Tel Aviv Regional Court against three men suspected of being sent by Haya to carry out revenge killings in Tel Aviv. Haya meanwhile, has been placed under remand for the time being.
Police suspect that the majority of said murders or attempted murders were connected to a dispute that began earlier in Haya's criminal career, while he was a member of an Israeli criminal gang in New York City in the 1980s. In recent years, a number of members of both Haya's gang and a rival gang have returned to Israel after serving long prison terms in the United States, mainly for drug offenses.
Among the men who returned to Israel were a number who allegedly assisted the prosecution in cases involving other gang members in exchange for lighter sentences. Police suspect that after these men returned to Israel, a series of revenge killings were carried out against them in Tel Aviv.
Police suspect that past grievances between the gangs in New York were behind the murder two years ago of Nelo Hershko, who was killed while sitting in his house in Bat Yam. Also, police suspect the murder of Ron Fredi-Efraim in broad daylight four months ago in South Tel Aviv is linked to the same dispute.
Police are still investigating whether the dispute is behind a series of additional murders and attempted murders, including the mistaken-identity shooting of Rishon Letzion resident Yoav Sina, the attempted murder of Itzik Cohen two months ago in Ramat Gan and that of Itzik Peretz five months ago in Holon.