Israeli soldiers stand close to a security barrier near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israel March 18, 2018. (Reuters photo)
JERUSALEM, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's internal security agency said Monday it had arrested a French employee of France's consulate in Jerusalem on suspicion he was involved in smuggling weapons from Gaza to Palestinians in the West Bank.
Romain Franck, a French citizen, was detained on Feb. 15 but his arrest and the entire case were under a gag order until Monday.
The Shin Bet security service said in a statement that he was part of a nine-man smuggling ring. Six of them were indicted on Monday.
"The investigation clearly shows that the employee (Franck) acted for financial profit, on his own initiative and without the knowledge of his superiors," the Shin Bet statement read.
Franck is accused of using his consular vehicle, which was subjected to easier security checks than regular vehicles, to carry out five transfers of weapons from Hamas-controlled Gaza to the occupied West Bank.
Overall, he allegedly delivered 70 guns and two assault rifles to Palestinians in the West Bank.
The weapons were delivered to him by a Palestinian employee of the French Cultural Center in Gaza, the Shin Bet said. After Frack smuggled the weapons to a middleman in the West Bank, the guns were sold to arms dealers.
His security guard, who travels with him, was also arrested.
"This is a very serious incident in which the immunity and privileges granted to foreign diplomatic missions in Israel were cynically exploited to smuggle dozens of weapons that may be used for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces," a Shin Bet official said in the statement.
A spokesman for the French Embassy in Israel said that the embassy was cooperating with the authorities. "We take the matter very seriously and work with the authorities," he said.
