Prosecutors were to request Thursday the Tel Aviv District Court extend the detention of a Hadera man, 55, charged with raping and committing indecent acts against two girls aged eight and ten, Army Radio reported.

Police fear that the suspect, whose wife is the principal of a local school, abused other girls as well.

The suspect's indictment states he abused the girls, who are his friends' daughters, over a period of about five years. It also notes that he would usually commit the acts while on family trips, often while the girls' fathers were nearby.

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The indictment lists nine counts of rape and seven of indecent acts.

Police called in the 8-year-old girl for questioning after they received information about the alleged abuse.

The girl, who is now thirteen, told police the suspect is a close friend of her parents, and abused her while she was at home. The suspect denies the allegations.

Prosecutors were to request Thursday the court extend the man's detention until the end of the judicial process against him.