Police arrested Monday the operator of a Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency response station in the Galilee for allegedly making repeated threats at the organization's director general, Elli Binn. The suspect was released by the court to house arrest.

The suspect, a senior MDA worker and former regional workers' representative, is alleged to have sent text messages to Binn's cellular phone for the past two weeks.

In the messages, the 56-year-old operator is believed to have threatened to harm both Binn and his family. He was arrested after Binn filed a complaint with the police in Afula, where he and his family reside.

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The commander of the Afula police station, Orly Malka, said that prior to the suspect's arrest, police had conducted a covert investigation involving the cellular phone company, until finally establishing which phone line was used to send the offensive messages.

Police then searched the home of the suspect, where they found the phone cards used for sending the messages. According to the police, the suspect then admitted to sending them, explaining he had done so because he refused to accept Binn's authority.

The MDA refused to comment on the affair. The organization's spokesman stressed that the suspect was a worker, and not a manager.