"Israeli" F-16 Engines Missing from Military Base

Local Editor

"Israeli" army radio reported Thursday that "thieves have made off with several US-made engines for F-16 warplanes worth millions of dollars from an airbase in central "Israel"."

"Israel's" Walla Internet site said preliminary findings after an investigation by military police indicated there may have been collusion between the thieves and personnel, either military or civilian, at the base.
For its part, "Arutz Sheva" mentioned that "senior military sources said that the thieves who stole the engines had to have been assisted by someone within the base."
"This determination is based, among other things, on the fact that there was no damage to the base's perimeter fence. This leads investigators to believe that the thieves went in and out through the gates. They must have done this with a large vehicle, since the engines weigh over 1.5 tons and are more than 15 feet long," it added.

It said the army suspected "the engines may have been stolen to be sold as scrap metal. It is not known when the thefts took place."
In parallel, the "Israeli" Army radio said a military spokesman had refused any comment on the incident, except to say that an official report on the inquiry would be sent to the military prosecutor.

Last year, the "Israeli" military launched an investigation after parts for F-15 and F-16 warplanes from the Tel Nof airbase near Tel Aviv were discovered when police searched a warehouse used by scrap metal merchants.

Source: "Israeli" dailies, Edited by moqawama.org