Manhunt

November 27, 2006 - 10:13 AM by

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One of the compensations of the often-stressful security situation in Israel is that there is far less “regular” crime than in most of the United States and Europe and a general feeling of being safer on the streets. Most Israeli women feel free to walk alone at night in a major city like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem at hours they wouldn’t consider taking a stroll in New York or Chicago.

Occasionally, however, we do have our own home-grown criminals and some of them do become infamous and are considered extra-dangerous. You’d think the police would, once they are caught, keep an eye on them. But a very dangerous rapist, Benny Sela, somehow managed to slip away while being moved around for a court appearance. And everyone is freaking out.

From Stephanie, who woke up to find helicopters circling her Tel Aviv neighborhood, which was crawling with police:

My first thought: A suicide bomber is loose in Tel Aviv; They have word and they’re searching.

“Is someone loose in the area?” (duh) I ask an officer outside our building. He shakes his head no. Liar. As if the foot patrol is simply getting out and about as part of the new “Get Fit Forces!” physical regime aimed at getting Tel Aviv’s police corps in shape. Our neighborhood happens to be THE perfect alternative to hiking trails and the helicopters help maintain that tough guy cover while they sweat it out.

That was 9:30.

Six hours later the copters are still circling. NOW I’ve found the story online and discover that lo and behold, it’s neither fitness or a bomber they’re after. Rather a mere serial rapist who escaped police escort while being transported between courthouse hearings. Our apartment is awfully close to the courthouse. Separated by a park, in fact. The same one I suspect Monsieur Rapist cut across to dodge his chaperones.

Let me see…Bomber versus Rapist…How comforting.

Holy Land Hipster is quite freaked out and asking, like everyone else, how this could have happened:

Israel has launched the largest manhunt in history and, almost non stop since Friday afternoon, there have been helicopters and sirens throughout my neighborhood. Yeah, I’m a little scared. Apparently, he has been coordinating and planning this for quite some time. He is known to be in incredible shape right now and was spotten a few hours ago on Arlozorov street near the train station.

Here’s some interesting facts about this entire messed up situation.

1) How the heck did he manage to convince the entire prison system of a fake court date? Apparently he showed them forged documents. Ummm, can anyone say inside job? What I don’t understand is who in their right mind would help a RAPIST?

2) He was spotted on Erev Shabbos changing out of his prison issued brown pants and into a pair of jeans. Anyone else wonder where he got the jeans from?

3) Apparently, he was sighted a few blocks from his mother’s apartment. Seriously now folks, does no one in Israel watch American crime TV programs? The first place you stake out is the family! Why weren’t there unmarked vehicles sitting in front and in the back of his mother’s apartment? ….I didn’t sleep very well last night, again, between the helicopters and the sirens I was pretty amped up. The neighborhood kids were having a party so I heard a lot of screaming until Midnight, and that definitely didn’t help my precarious state. I ended up just relaxing today and catching up on some good reading for school.

Man, I hope they catch this guy soon! In the meantime, a friend of mine mentioned picking me up a bottle of Mace/pepper spray and I gave him the go-ahead to do that.

Tags: • Category: General 

Comments

One Comment on Manhunt

  1. David on Tue, Nov 28th 2006 1:45 AM

    2. >Most Israeli women feel free to walk alone at night in a major city like Tel Aviv or Jerusalem at hours they wouldn’t consider taking a stroll in New York or Chicago.>

    Don’t know about Chicago, but has the writer even been to NYC? These days, in Manhattan [NYC, never mind the whole of Manhattan, is a city vastly bigger than Tel Aviv after all] from both the upper West and East side, down to South Ferry, women can and do walk on their own at all hours

    Women even take the Subway at all hours these days.

    So please, while nothing is ideal, lets not knock the greatest City in the world – New York City.

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