Carrying 6 Firearms, Israeli Citizens Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison In Malaysia

JAKARTA - The Malaysian court sentenced an Israeli man to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to carrying six weapons and dozens of bullets.

Shallom Avitan (39) was arrested in March 2024 at a hotel in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. DIA was charged with illegal trade and possession of firearms, while a husband and wife from Malaysia were charged with supplying weapons to him.

Authorities said Avitan claimed to be in Malaysia to hunt down other Israelis over a family dispute.

The two countries have no diplomatic ties, and the police are investigating their motives and it is likely that they are part of Israel's criminal network or spies.

Avitan arrived from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 last year using a French passport.

He was detained by police at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur in a gun bag on March 27 and showed an Israeli passport during interrogation.

On Wednesday, February 26, a court in Kuala Lumpur received Avitan's guilty confession and ordered his seven-year prison sentence to be extended from the date of his arrest on March 28 last year, his lawyer, Naran Singh, told Reuters.

Avitan will serve his sentence at the Kajang prison on the outskirts of the capital, the lawyer continued.