In a plea bargain agreement, Staff-Sergeant S. on Monday was brought before a military tribunal and sent to prison for 18 months. He was found guilty of stealing explosives during the Second Lebanon War. The soldier, whose name may not be released, served in an elite unit.

The soldier took TNT and related explosive materials, which he smuggled out of his base in his private bag and took them with him. There was also mention of other armaments too, a number of grenades.

The soldier was described by commanders as highly motivated and an excellent soldier. Defense counsel succeeded in persuading the court that his client did not have criminal or other more serious motives for taking the explosives, thereby avoiding a conviction of assisting an enemy agent.

The soldier’s exemplary service record set the stage for the plea bargain agreement and the relatively light sentence.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)