An indictment was filed Sunday against a 35-year-old resident of Iksal for extorting protection money from rave organizers in northern Israel. The suspect is charged with kidnapping for extortion, extortion by threats, and extortion by force.
The investigation began in early May following a report from a rave organizer in the Gilboa region. According to the indictment, the organizer was forced to pay ₪5,000 for “protection services against criminals”—even though no one representing the extortionists was present at the event. The money was collected by a courier who showed up at the location and charged an additional ₪300 as a “delivery fee.”
When the investigation opened, police arrested the suspect and the courier. The investigation revealed that the suspect threatened the courier not to cooperate with police. Following news of the arrest, another complainant came forward to police, describing a similar extortion incident she and her partner experienced while organizing a rave in the Gilboa area.
Investigation materials showed that in this case, the suspect arrived at the location and demanded ₪20,000 from the organizers with threats of serious violence: “Either I’ll blow your face off or you bring us ₪20,000.” After receiving ₪5,000 in cash, the suspect robbed the victim of a Rolex watch he was wearing and continued demanding the remaining money. When he discovered there was money in the partner’s bank account, he took her under threats to a bank branch in Afula and forced her to withdraw another ₪5,000 for him.