KUALA LUMPUR – Israeli national Shalom Avitan has been charged at the sessions court here with possession and trafficking of firearms involving 158 bullets and six guns.
He pleaded not guilty to one charge under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960 for possession of the ammunition and a second charge under Section 7(1) of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 for trafficking the firearms.
Bail was not granted by sessions court judge Tasnim Abu Bakar, who set May 21 for the next case mention.
Avitan, 38, is accused of committing both offences between 6.46pm on March 26 and 6pm on March 28 in a room at the Four Seasons Hotel at Jalan Ampang.
The charge on firearms trafficking carries a penalty of imprisonment of not less than 30 years but not exceeding 40 years, as well as not less than six lashes of the whip.
The charge on unlawful possession of ammunition carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine not exceeding RM10,000, or both.
The ammunition in his possession were one box containing eight 9mm Shell Shock NAS3 bullets and three boxes of 50 bullets each made by Bullet Master Co Ltd.
The six guns involved were a Glock 19, Glock 17, Sig Sauer P320SP, Cougar 8000FT, Cougar 8000F and Smith & Wesson.
The prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam, while lawyers Navinjit Singh and Jeffrey Ooi appeared for the Israeli.
Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was also present in the courtroom as Avitan’s plea was recorded amid heavy and armed police presence.
It was previously reported that Avitan had been found with six guns, including a Glock, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer and Stoeger, as well as hundreds of bullets when he was arrested at a hotel in Jalan Ampang on March 27.
A Malaysian husband and wife were later arrested on suspicion of supplying Avitan with the firearms after he entered the country via a French passport on March 12.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain previously said Avitan had paid more than RM60,000 to purchase six firearms from the couple, who were believed to have smuggled in the weapons from Thailand.
Earlier this week, an unemployed married couple claimed trial at the Klang sessions court to illegally possessing firearms linked to Avitan’s arrest.
Sharifah Faraha Syed Husin, 41, was accused of illegally possessing a CZ75 P-01 CAL.9 Luger gun while her husband Abdul Azim Mohd Yasin, 43, was accused of being with her, putting him in the circumstances of having knowledge of his wife’s illegal gun possession.
Foreign media have claimed that Avitan was an associate of the Musli brothers crime family, a notorious Jewish mob, and is said to have come here to assassinate the head of a rival gang.
Razarudin, however, said on April 2 that probes were still being carried out into Avitan’s claims he had come to Malaysia to assassinate another Israeli named Eran Haya due to “family issues”.
The IGP also said police were not dismissing the possibility of the Israeli being a spy.
Malaysia and Israel have no diplomatic ties. – April 12, 2024