Israeli police have arrested a man who allegedly threatened to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, marking the second such case to surface in as many months and underscoring the heightened political volatility surrounding Israel’s embattled leader.

The suspect, a resident of Kiryat Gat, was detained on the evening of Sept. 22 — the start of Rosh Hashanah — after walking into a local police station and declaring his intent to purchase a firearm and shoot Netanyahu three times. Officers immediately placed him under arrest, and a court later extended his detention at the request of investigators.

Police said Thursday that prosecutors are expected to file an indictment imminently, along with a request to hold the suspect in custody until the end of proceedings.

The arrest comes less than two months after prosecutors charged a woman in her 70s with conspiring to assassinate Netanyahu using an anti-tank weapon. That indictment alleged she sought to “sacrifice” her life to oppose the government and had attempted to recruit another activist to help track Netanyahu’s movements.

Netanyahu, facing a restive public amid war in Gaza and mounting protests at home, has increasingly condemned violent extremism among his opponents. Earlier this month, he likened anti-government protesters who set fires in Jerusalem to “fascist militias.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)