What began on Friday as a search for a young man suspected of desertion turned into one of the most unusual weapons seizures recently uncovered inside a residential home in Jerusalem. Dozens of grenades, explosive blocks, firearms, ammunition and combat equipment were found by police inside rooms of the house, including children’s rooms and a play area. On Sunday, the case took another turn when the main suspect, a man in his 20s, was arrested after landing at Ben Gurion Airport and taken for questioning by the Moriah police station of the Jerusalem District.
The operation began on Friday, when officers from the Moriah station in the Jerusalem District, together with the Military Police, arrived at a residential home in the city to locate the suspected deserter. During the search, police first found a smoke grenade. That discovery raised suspicion that additional weapons might be hidden in the home, and Border Police dog handlers and Jerusalem District bomb disposal experts were called to the scene.
What was found inside the Jerusalem home?
The search quickly expanded and revealed an exceptional cache: 36 grenades of different types, including 18 fragmentation grenades, explosive blocks, a Kalashnikov rifle, a shotgun, sights, large quantities of ammunition including belts, combat gear and items suspected of being intended for the creation and assembly of explosive devices.
According to police, some of the weapons were hidden in different rooms of the home, including the parents’ bedroom, children’s rooms and play areas. The central suspicion being examined is that the items included war loot, stolen from the IDF or leaked from combat zones, and were intended for criminal or terrorist use.
Why is a weapons cache in a residential building so dangerous?
The meaning of keeping grenades, explosive blocks and ammunition in the heart of a civilian environment is not only criminal, but also immediately dangerous. The home is located inside a shared residential building, where any malfunction, mishandling, use or improper storage of one of the items could have ended in disaster.
Police stressed that “the weapons and explosive devices uncovered by Jerusalem District officers could have caused enormous damage to the home and the residential building in which they were kept, and could have claimed the lives of many residents of the area.” Police further noted that weapons that leaked from combat zones and the IDF are sometimes held in residential homes for criminal or terrorist purposes, and that this is a serious offense that poses a real threat to life.
How was the main suspect arrested at Ben Gurion Airport?
At the first stage, the homeowner, a man in his 50s, was arrested, and the court extended his remand until Monday, July 6, 2026, for the continuation of the investigation. At the same time, investigators from the Moriah station continued working through the weekend to locate the main suspect in the alleged theft and possession of the weapons.
On Sunday morning, after landing at Ben Gurion Airport, the main suspect, a young man in his 20s, was arrested and taken for questioning. Police intend to bring him before the court and request an extension of his remand.
The Jerusalem District Police called on the public to immediately report any suspicion of finding weapons or explosives to the police emergency line, 100, and emphasized: “Holding weapons and explosives inside residential homes is a serious offense that poses a real danger to life. We call on the public to remain alert and immediately report any suspicion of finding weapons to police emergency line 100. Under no circumstances should these objects be touched, and they must be handled safely only by a police bomb disposal expert.”
