How a Notorious Israeli Thief Became a National Hero (5 photos)

Back in the 1990s, Moti Ashkenazi was one of the most slick and notorious petty thieves in all of Israel. He usually operated on the beaches of Tel Aviv, where ripping off tourists took almost no effort at all—just swipe a bag and walk away.

Then came a day that changed Moti’s life forever, completely transforming how the public viewed him. Overnight, Ashkenazi went from a petty crook to a beloved national hero. What happened? Here is his incredible story.





Moti Ashkenazi was known to everyone as the scourge of beachgoers. Whenever he approached the shore, local security guards would warn sunbathers: keep an eye on your bags and stay alert! Everyone listened. Yet, somehow, Moti still managed to snatch belongings right under the noses of law enforcement.

Struggling with drug addiction, Ashkenazi was no stranger to the law and had faced multiple criminal charges. In fact, on the very day that would alter the course of his life, Moti was supposed to be under court-ordered house arrest.



Jerusalem Beach

It was June 20, 1997. Blatantly ignoring his sentence, the repeat offender headed out to Jerusalem Beach, where high school and college students were celebrating the last day of the school year. The beach was packed with easy targets. The potential loot was simply too tempting for Moti to resist.

He quickly picked out an expensive-looking bag and slipped away to check its contents. "Towel, sunglasses, sunscreen... but where's the wallet?" Digging deeper inside, Moti felt something that made him gasp. The bag was stuffed with a mountain of nails...

Instantly realizing what was happening, he grabbed the bag and bolted toward a nearby abandoned building. Inspecting his find more closely, his fears were confirmed: lying inside was a ticking time bomb.





Moti immediately called the police, even though he knew he risked going to prison for breaching house arrest. Unsurprisingly, the officers didn't believe the petty thief and advised him to lay off the drugs. Realizing he had no other choice, Ashkenazi resorted to more drastic measures. He ran into the street and started blocking traffic with trash cans, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Bomb! Stay back, there's a bomb!"

The police could hardly ignore the scene. Officers tackled him to the ground and were preparing to take him to the station, but decided to check the abandoned building just to be safe. To their absolute astonishment, they discovered that Moti Ashkenazi was telling the truth.



Bomb disposal experts rushed to the scene and defused the device. It turned out the bag contained over five kilograms (11 pounds) of explosives, planted on the beach by a terrorist who had bombed a local cafe three months earlier.

Because Moti had risked his own freedom to save lives—facing prison time for breaking house arrest—all charges against him were dropped, and he was granted free, government-funded addiction rehabilitation.



Today, Moti is in his fifties, a father of five, and thoroughly content with his life. He beat his drug addiction, got a steady job, and now works to stop the very crime he used to commit: Ashkenazi works as a beach monitor on one of Tel Aviv's beaches, where no thief has managed to slip past his watchful eye.

Proof that a single twist of fate can turn a life around forever.