Israeli police are investigating the kidnapping of a child in the Negev city of Rahat, where a violent feud between rival families has escalated in recent weeks.
According to initial findings, several armed men arrived at the scene overnight Wednesday, attacked the boy and abducted him at gunpoint. He was later severely beaten by his captors and was found injured at a local clinic, where he received initial treatment.
Officers from the Rahat police station were dispatched as soon as the report came in. Investigators collected forensic evidence, took statements from witnesses and reviewed security camera footage, while intelligence and search efforts to locate the suspects continued through the night.
On Thursday afternoon, police arrested a first suspect, a Rahat resident in his twenties, who was taken in for questioning.
The preliminary investigation points to an ongoing criminal feud between rival families in the city, which police say has escalated to the point of targeting a child.
Police said the investigation is continuing and that more arrests are expected in the coming hours. The suspect is set to appear in court, where police will ask to extend his detention.
