BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Three gang members suspected of being involved in the home invasion attack on Argentina’s chief rabbi were arrested in three raids in the Greater Buenos Aires area.
Buenos Aires city police also recovered objects belonging to Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich, including a pen with Hebrew words in a box labeled “Jerusalem,” money and jewelry matching the description of items that the rabbi said were stolen from his home.
The arrests took place on Monday night.
“Now with the today’s three detainees we have arrested the whole gang. It is great work by the city police,” Diego Santilli, Buenos Aires City minister of security and vice mayor, told the state news agency Telam. The gang leader was among those taken into custody in the latest raids.
Buenos Aires police tweeted photos of the recovered money and personal items.
The February attack left Davidovich with serious injuries, including nine broken ribs and a punctured lung.
The attack is not being treated as a hate crime, and reports have indicated that it was a revenge attack arranged by a prominent member of the Jewish community involved in a divorce case adjudicated by the rabbi.
Davidovich also says he’s not sure if the home assault was anti-Semitic, despite hearing the assailants shout “We know that you are the AMIA (Jewish center) rabbi” during the attack.
His wife was home during the Feb. 25 attack, which took place at approximately 2 a.m. in the Jewish neighborhood of Once in the Argentine capital.
The rabbi reappeared in public one month after the attack in a meeting with the head of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog.
Two members of the gang were captured one month ago. Fingerprints found on one of the windows of the rabbi’s house were the key to identifying some of the members of the gang. City cameras also helped to identify three vehicles used by the attackers.
Davidovich has served as chief rabbi since 2013. The office of the rabbinate is located in the AMIA Jewish center building in Buenos Aires.
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