An end to bomb threats against Jewish educational institutions in the United States and other countries around the world: The cyber unit at Lahav 433 arrested this morning (Thursday), following an undercover investigation, in cooperation with enforcement agencies abroad, a 19-year-old resident of Ashkelon, on suspicion of committing extortion offenses through threats and publishing false news that causes fear and panic around the world.
This is an affair known in the police cyber unit as 'Affair 801', which began in several countries simultaneously, in which dozens of threatening calls were received - about the alleged discovery of explosives in public places and civil companies, which created panic and the shutdown of normal activity in those bodies, causing significant economic damage and consequences for public order - including the emergency evacuation of citizens in several public sites and institutions around the world, and even the cessation of air activity by an airline and emergency landings.
After in most cases the traces from around the world eventually led to Israel, the cyber unit launched an intensive investigation with the aim of locating the suspect and collecting evidence against him.
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The messages reached the main telephones in those places, including Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and, according to suspicion, also in Israel, with the young man sending the messages using a computer he kept at home and with the help of a powerful WI-FI antenna, which transmits over long distances with great coverage, which was hung in the window of his house.
The suspect's arrest this morning was made possible after an international undercover investigation, with the cooperation of FBI representatives who came to Israel, as well as other police organizations from around the world.
The suspect used sophisticated technological means to disguise his activities, as the cyber unit attempted to track him down and used sophisticated means to locate him. Today, a search was conducted at his home, during which investigators located a WI-FI antenna outside his window.
The police emphasize that a large number of police and law enforcement organizations around the world worked in professional cooperation with the Israel Police, which made it possible to conduct a complex investigation that crossed borders and combined the technological capabilities of several law enforcement agencies.
This morning, the suspect was arrested, and after a search and seizure of technological devices in his possession, he was brought for questioning at the unit's offices. Along with the young man, his father was also detained for questioning.
The court extended the young man's detention until March 30.
