Suspected neo-Nazis remanded for 3 days; indictments expected tomorrow - Haaretz

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Mon., September 10, 2007 Elul 27, 5767

Israel Time: 02:04 (EST+7)

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Suspected neo-Nazis remanded for 3 days; indictments expected tomorrow

By Roni Singer-Heruti

Eight young men suspected of neo-Nazi activities were remanded to custody for another three days by the Ramle Magistrate's Court yesterday. They are expected to be indicted tomorrow in the Tel Aviv District Court.

The eight cannot actually be charged with neo-Nazi activities, because, paradoxically, such activities are not illegal under Israeli law. However, they will be charged with incitement to racism, causing grievous bodily harm and various other crimes.

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Handcuffed and covering their faces, the eight arrived at the court yesterday to find a large crowd waiting, shouting abuse and spitting.

"It is not us in the photos," shouted Arik Bunyatov, who is suspected of being the leader of the neo-Nazi cell, in response. "I am not a Nazi!"

The other suspects, however, have admitted to being involved in neo-Nazi activities, police investigators said. They are Iliya Bondenko, 21, from Petah Tikva; Alex Flich, 19, from Karnei Shomron; Kyril Bolenko, 18, from Holon; Vladimir Nizovadze, 18, from Bat Yam; and three minors aged 16 and 17 from Petah Tikva, whose identities are protected by law.

A ninth suspect - Dima Bugativ, 21, a soldier serving in the Israel Defense Forces - managed to escape abroad a month ago.

"There is no organization involved, and the police have blown the story out of proportion for the sake of receiving press coverage," said Eli Masterman, Bondenko's attorney, yesterday. "My client rejects the charges against him, and the fact is that the judge released him and the rest of them last Thursday because he decided they do not pose a threat."

However, the district court overruled this decision on appeal and ordered the eight suspects placed in custody.

The police investigation into the alleged neo-Nazi cell began a year ago, following two incidents of vandalism against Petah Tikva synagogues. The investigation focused on two main suspects: Bunyatov and Bondenko. Police detectives found neo-Nazi materials on both their computers, and this expanded the probe into new directions.

"The materials we found were difficult to watch," the head of the investigation, Superintendent Yigal Ben Shalom, said yesterday. The video clips found on the computers showed the suspects, along with other people dressed in typical skinhead, neo-Nazi clothes, in the process of assaulting their victims.

These videos led detectives working on the case to suspect that the gang had attacked dozens of people in the Tel Aviv area, mostly foreign workers and drug addicts. In one video, they are seen approaching a foreign worker as he is talking on a public telephone, punching him in the face and breaking a bottle over his head. Violently loud music accompanies each clip, and between segments, the suspects spliced swastikas and other Nazi symbols.

According to the material on their computers, the suspects also planned to celebrate Adolf Hitler's birthday at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum and memorial.

However, despite the fact that the videos suggest a series of violent attacks, only one complaint against the gang has actually been filed with the police. This fact, combined with the fact that most of the evidence against the suspects consists of electronic material taken from their computers, may make it difficult for the prosecution to convict them on serious charges.

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