An attempt to kidnap a diamond dealer and his daughter was foiled last week after a car chase and a shootout in northern Tel Aviv left one of the abductors dead.
Police still were searching last week for a woman involved in the abduction of Asher Gertler and his 18-year-old daughter, Keren Gertler.
Keren Gertler, a soldier, had been taken captive the morning of Feb. 7 as she was driving to her base. She was held in an apartment until her release that same night.
Her father was kidnapped after the abductors told him that they had his daughter and he should meet with them. Asher Gertler was put in a car with the second kidnapper, Avi Sapan, an Israeli champion marksman.
Throughout the day, police trailed the car through northern Tel Aviv and its environs, following signals emitted by the car’s mobile phone.
When police closed in on the car, Gertler managed to escape, even though he was shot. Police then shot and killed Sapan.
Police said Sapan and his female accomplice planned to demand a ransom of $2 million in cash and diamonds for Keren Gertler’s release.
Her grandfather, Moshe Shnitzer, is a former president of the Israel Diamond Exchange.
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