"It's not me, it's the demons": The secrets of the man who terrorized the media in Israel

In the middle of the month, an indictment was filed against 44-year-old Avraham Hadi from Ramat Gan, who for many long months targeted leading media outlets in Israel: he smashed windows and doors with bricks, left threatening letters, and painted graffiti. The indictment also attributes to him vandalism against the Ministry of Justice building.

How did the man operate and what was his motive? When in the past was he involved in other acts of vandalism? And also, how was he involved in a violent offense in the past? Here is an expanded look at the affair and the man.

The indictment filed by the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office to the city's Magistrate's Court describes the background to the acts: "In July 2024, news of the arrest of reservists who served at the Sde Teiman base on suspicion of committing serious offenses against a security detainee at the facility was published on Channel 12 news and other channels." Later, there was another report with a video recording. According to the indictment, Hadi decided, against the background of "his views regarding the judicial system and the aforementioned media outlets, to damage the offices of the media outlets and the Ministry of Justice building, to threaten media employees, and to extort Channel 12 news employees with threats in order to motivate them to apologize for the publications in the Sde Teiman affair."

"It's a pity, because eventually someone will die"

The first target was the Channel 13 newsroom. On November 19, 2025, at 3:42 AM, Hadi arrived at the office area and sprayed in black paint on the wall opposite them the inscription: "The blood of the traitors is even more for publication." According to the indictment, the act was intended to frighten or provoke Channel 13 news employees, and for this, he was charged with threats and vandalism of real estate.

Already then, the police investigated Hadi on suspicion of involvement in the incident, and five days later he even confessed to spraying the inscription. However, an indictment was not filed at that stage, and in the months that followed, according to the indictment, he continued with a series of events that escalated. Only after additional findings were collected did the police manage to link him to the other cases as well.

Almost eight months after the first incident, the second target arrived - the Channel 12 newsroom. On July 5, 2026, at 3:26 AM, Hadi arrived at the company's offices masked and equipped with work gloves. According to the indictment, he did so against the background of his decision to harm the media and threaten their employees. Hadi threw two bricks, one after the other, at the glass door at the entrance - and smashed it. Due to the incident, he was charged with malicious damage and threats.

Three days later, the third incident occurred. On July 8, 2026, at 3:48 AM, Hadi arrived at the offices of "Haaretz" in Tel Aviv masked and equipped with work gloves. According to the indictment, he threw two bricks, one after the other, at the glass door at the entrance - and smashed it. For this incident as well, he was charged with malicious damage and threats.

Another week passed, and the fourth target was the Ministry of Justice. On July 15, 2026, at 4:10 AM, Hadi arrived at the building masked and equipped with work gloves. According to the indictment, he threw two bricks at the glass door at the entrance. Afterward, he bent down, picked them up, and threw one of them again - until the door was smashed. From there, he fled. A week later, on July 22, 2026, at 4:19 AM, Hadi returned once again to the Ministry of Justice. This time too, he arrived masked and with work gloves, and threw two bricks at the glass door at the entrance. The door was smashed in this incident as well.

In the last case, six days later, Hadi returned to the Channel 12 news offices. On July 28, at 4:11 AM, he arrived at the place masked and equipped with work gloves. According to the indictment, the motive for his actions was Channel 12 news publications in the Sde Teiman affair and "his decision to damage Channel 12 news offices and to threaten and extort Channel 12 news employees with threats."

In front of the entrance door, Hadi threw an envelope on which was written "To Keshet 12 the Amalekite shofar," and inside it a letter with the following wording:

"Until you ask for forgiveness in the Sde Teiman affair, I will not stop. Next time the brick will be aimed at one of your heads. Even an apology without heart's intent is fine. Treat the letter with gravity and full seriousness. It's a pity, because eventually someone will die. A traitor from within is more dangerous than an enemy from without. To wit: Ronen Bar, Herzi Halevi, Aharon Haliva, Avi Bluth, Barsler and her partner, the Jewish Division in the Shin Bet, one Aharon Barak, all the former ones, Yair Golan, Supreme Court, Yitzhak (will cry) Amit, Gali, she is Isabel, Haaretz, Yifat Yerushalmi, the pilot of 7.10. God's judgment will punish all of you."

Afterward, Hadi threw two bricks, one after the other, at the glass door at the entrance - and smashed it. At 6:30 AM, a producer at Channel 12 news arrived at the place, noticed the envelope left at the place, opened it, and read the letter. Following the incident, Hadi was also charged with extortion by threats, alongside other offenses. Two days later, as alleged, Hadi tried to obstruct the investigation: he threw into the trash bin in his residential building a pair of shoes and pants that he wore, according to the suspicion, during the events.

"It wasn't me, it's the demons and spirits"

Among the evidence in the file are recordings from security cameras at the various scenes and in their surroundings. In the videos, a masked person is seen, equipped with work gloves, throwing bricks at the glass doors of Channel 12, "Haaretz," and the Ministry of Justice. In other recordings, a person wearing a baseball cap is seen arriving at the area of the Channel 13 news offices and leaving after a few minutes, while the act of spraying the inscription was documented from afar.

Security cameras in Hadi's residential building are also included in the evidence material. According to the documentation, he is seen wearing a reflective vest of the Tel Aviv Municipality, while under the work clothes and above them, items of clothing can be identified that, according to the investigators, match those worn by the perpetrator of the offense that night. In a search conducted in his apartment on July 30, 2026, clothes were located that, according to the suspicion, match the clothing seen in the security videos. In the trash bin of his residential building, shoes and pants were also found that match, according to the police, the items seen in the recordings.

In addition, testimonies were collected from officials at Channel 13, Channel 12, and "Haaretz," who described the fear that was created among the employees following the repeated acts of violence and threats against the media outlets. Hadi was arrested on July 30, 2026, and denied his involvement in the acts attributed to him. He even retracted his confession to spraying the graffiti in front of Channel 13 and claimed that he confessed under pressure.

In his last interrogation, on August 7, 2026, after all the suspicions were confronted to him, he said: "You must help and treat me. It wasn't me, it's the demons and spirits. This is not the behavior of the real Avraham."

Criminal past

Hadi has a previous criminal past. In 2024, he was convicted of assault causing bodily harm, after he sprayed pepper spray inside a law firm. The owner of the office served as a receiver in an execution case that was conducted against him. According to the verdict, Hadi arrived in the morning hours at the office, entered the corridor, and sprayed pepper spray toward one of the employees. As a result, the employee was injured, as well as another employee who was at the place. In that file, he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence, 300 hours of public service, and compensation of 750 shekels to each of the three complainants.

Hadi also has a history of property vandalism. In the past, he was convicted after he sprayed on the Kirya wall the inscription "Only God." Pending against him, according to the prosecution, is also another file in which he is accused of vandalizing the wall of the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court - the same court where he is currently on trial. According to the indictment, he sprayed in black paint the inscription: "The abode of lies, evil, moral corruption, prostitution, and adultery."

Advocate Eran Amrani, who represents Hadi, stated in response: "The file is mostly based on circumstantial evidence, and on this basis, the prosecution bases its entire thesis. The hearing was postponed by a few days in order to study the evidence material, which in my estimation is weaker than what the prosecution is trying to present. There was no indication there that links an objective connection neither to the threat letter nor to other things that appear in the indictment. We will study the file and respond."