The camera turned on, the suspect tried to escape: drone footage leading to an arrest | First publication

Fighters of the Southern National Guard of the Border Police recently arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion of hiding a pistol in an open area within the Bedouin community in the south, near Rahat. Aerial footage obtained today (Wednesday) by Walla shows the suspect during the operation, who was located via drone and attempted to flee the scene.

The operation was carried out as part of a task force headquarters active in the city of Rahat. The Southern National Guard units conducted a proactive operation involving searches of open areas, simultaneously deploying a drone to monitor the situation from above.

During the search, the drone identified a suspect who, according to police, retrieved a suspicious object from a vehicle before attempting to flee on foot. Officers on the ground made contact, located the suspect, and took him into custody. A search conducted near the site of the arrest revealed a Glock-type pistol, which had been wrapped in paper and hidden in an open area.

The suspect, an 18-year-old resident of the Bedouin community, was transferred to the Rahat police station for interrogation and subsequently detained. This morning, the court extended his detention by several days. The police continue their efforts to locate illegal weapons in the southern region, utilizing technological assets such as drones alongside ground operations.

This arrest adds to a series of weapon seizures carried out by police in recent months across the Negev and Bedouin communities. According to data revealed by Walla in July, approximately 460 weapons have been seized in the Negev district since the beginning of 2026, including pistols and military-grade weapons, with a significant portion of these seizures occurring within the Bedouin community.