KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — There have been no positive leads in the police’s efforts to track down a man known as ‘Eran Haya’, the alleged target of an Israeli man who was arrested with firearms by the authorities on March 27.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the investigation at this stage was still unable to identify the individual involved.
“We are still determining if it is real (the existence of Eran Haya) because he (the detained Israeli man) has claimed as such. The police need to investigate to confirm the matter,” he said during a special press conference at Bukit Aman today.
Razarudin was commenting on a report by The Times Of Israel, which said the Israeli man, who was arrested with six firearms and 200 rounds of ammunition at a hotel along Jalan Ampang, is believed to be associated with the criminal group known as the Musli Brothers.
According to the report, the suspect, identified as Shalom Avitan, is believed to have come to Malaysia to kill the leader of a rival criminal group.
Both groups had reportedly been involved in violent feuds for months, and Avitan’s home in Tel Aviv’s posh Bavli neighbourhood had been the target of several grenades thrown by Haya’s associates.
The incident reportedly occurred in mid-March and is believed to have taken place before Haya allegedly entered Malaysia.
Reports by Israeli media previously stated that Eran Haya was the son of the leader of a criminal group in the country known as Eitan Haya, who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Tel Aviv court in 2016.
Eitan Haya, also called the ‘Israeli Godfather’ by the Israeli media and authorities, had been found guilty by a court in Israel for being involved in various criminal activities, including extortion and money laundering.
Before returning to Israel in 2004 after years of living in the United States (US), Eitan reportedly led an Israeli mafia crime group in New York and served 15 years in prison in the US for murder.
Eran Haya also reportedly carried out criminal activities, including cryptocurrency fraud in South Africa.
The 36-year-old Avitan was found to have entered the country through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on March 12 using a French passport.
— Bernama
