Last update - 00:00 23/10/2007
Immigrant from Germany kidnapped, freed for $320,000 ransom
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent
Police have arrested two suspects in a kidnapping case, in which a 30-year-old oleh from Germany was kidnapped and held for two weeks in various houses in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, before his captors released him for $320,000 ransom supplied by the man's family in Germany.
The case, kept under a gag order until Tuesday, has been the subject of investigation for months by Sharon-area police detectives. This week, they arrested two suspects in the case., Erez Dahan, 43, of Jerusalem, and Yossi Peleg, 48, of Azur.
Police said additional arrests were expected. The victim was not identified.
The two, along with other men, are suspected of having kidnapped the man in February, when he was living alone in the Tel Aviv area. He was kept in a series of hiding places, where the suspects allegedly beat and tortured him. The kidnapped man left signs of life behind in the houses, in hopes that his whereabouts could be traced.
The kidnappers held negotiations with relatives of the man in Germany. They eventually paid a $320,000 ransom to secure his release. The sum was transferred to a bank account in Israel, whereupon the man was freed. In the intervening months, police have pursued a covert investigation, acting on a complaint filed by the kidnapped man's father.