Last update - 00:00 28/11/2007
Crime lord suspected of posting mock death notices for vigilante cops
By Jonathan Lis and Jack Khoury , Haaretz Correspondents
Police are investigating whether alleged crime boss Michael Mor is behind death notices bearing the names of police officers suspected of vigilante attacks against him and his associates. The notices appeared in a local publication yesterday.
The four policemen and a civilian were arrested last week for allegedly planting two pipe bombs outside the homes of Mor and his cousin. Only one exploded, causing no injuries and minor property damage.
Law enforcement officials said they were seeking to determine whether the ads, which were ordered by a public relations firm, could be legally considered an attempt to threaten the policemen and their families. The investigation is in the early stages, they said.
They said they were also checking whether the ads were ordered by the policemen themselves, to protest their vulnerability to harm by mobsters while in custody.
The officers are believed to have been seeking to avenge attacks and threats by Mor and his associates targeting them and their families.
A court partially lifted a gag order on the case last week, allowing the media to report the arrests. However, the names of the officers are still being withheld, in order to protect their families.
Mor, who is currently serving a three-year prison term for illegal firearm possession, petitioned to release the policemen's names.
The Haifa District Court is set to hear the petition today.
A police officer said that if it turns out Mor is behind the ads, this will be one more of his attempts to "turn the police into a laughingstock."
Mor's lawyer vociferously denied his client had any connection to the ads, and urged the courts to reveal the police officers' identities.
"The Israeli public thinks the suspects are heroes who took the law into their own hands because they feared for their lives. Wouldn't it be proper to show the public who these people are, after they acted as judge, jury and executioner?" he said.
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