Policemen charged with planting explosives under mob boss' car

Five police officers, including a superintendent, and one civilian were arrested recently on suspicion that they planted two explosive devices under the vehicle of a reputed criminal in Nahariya in October 2006.

A gag order on the case was lifted Thursday, and the details of the case were made public.

The explosives were planted under the car of Michael Mor, the head of an organized crime syndicate in northern Israel, and another device was placed on his nephew's windowsill. The officers are suspected of having planted these devices in efforts to intimidate the crime organization they were investigating.

The Haifa District Court on Thursday received indictments accusing the suspects of possession of explosives, weapons crimes, fraud and breach of trust. The accused police officers were a part of the force's intelligence department, but were not posted in the same unit.

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Police Commissioner David Cohen strongly condemned the police officers' alleged actions, while at the same time saying that the police department must restore its deterrent capability against the members of organized crimes.

Cohen said the police have lost their deterrent capability in recent years, leading to a string of threats and physical assaults against police officers.

"I view this incident with utmost severity," said Cohen. "The soldiers' severe actions were committed in complete violation of their job, police norms, and the behavior that was expected of them."

"I have been serving on the force for 30 years, and until today I had never seen officers who took the law into their own hands in such a gratuitous manner," he continued. "Such police officers ? have no place on the force."

"Even today, we have police officers who under threat and security," he said. "It is inconceivable that a police officer in the State of Israel should be afraid to send his children to kindergarten because of their line of work."

Still, Cohen told Army Radio on Thursday he would not open an inquiry panel into the alleged plot.

The police internal affairs department said that the initial data in the case suggested that the explosives had been planted by police officers. Sources said this investigation had been particularly difficult, because the suspects were themselves investigators, and were very familiar with the methods employed by the police in the investigation of their crimes.

The suspects were arrested during recent weeks, and two of them are currently still in custody. Last Friday, one of the two suspects signed a deal with the prosecution and incriminated the other suspects in the case. In light of the incriminating testimony, another officer and a civilian confessed to their involvement. Three suspects still deny any wrongdoing.

The evidence in the case file suggests that on October 22, 2006, the suspects met in a wooded area, disguised their license plates and armed the explosive devices. Two groups left the meeting place - two officers headed to Mor's home and planted a device under his car, and three additional policemen, including a superintendent, placed explosives under the reputed crime boss' nephew's window. The suspects then immediately returned to their homes.

One explosive device caused property damage, but the explosives under Mor's vehicle did not go off due to a technical fault.

Several of the suspects were then summoned to work several hours later in order to take part in the investigation of the explosion.

A gag order remains in place on the names of the suspects or any detail that could reveal their identity, for fear that the organized crime syndicate will try to harm them or their families.

The civilian who was also arrested in the case is an explosives expert who deals with pyrotechnics and fireworks. He allegedly instructed the police officers in the installation of the explosives and provided them with materials.

A Nahariya Police officer said after the lifting of the gag order Thursday, "we are trying to do business as usual, but there is no doubt that deep down, the sentiments are very difficult."