Alleged neo-Nazi ring busted in Israel

JERUSALEM, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Nine members of an alleged neo-Nazi ring have been arrested in Israel, it was reported Sunday.

The youths, whose families immigrated from the former Soviet Union, were arrested in the Petah Tikva area after a yearlong investigation, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The youths, eight of them Israeli citizens, promoted Nazi ideology and established relations with neo-Nazi groups overseas, The Post reported.

Eli Boanitov, 19, the alleged head of the group, is accused of leading his followers "to attack, in a cruel and brutal manner, citizens and innocent people belonging to various groups including Asians, drug addicts, gays, punks and kippa-wearing Jews," said a police statement.

In a report released by police, Boanitov was quoted as saying, "I'll never give up. I was a Nazi and I'll stay a Nazi. Until we kill all of them, I won't relax."

The group was discovered during an investigation into two incidents in Petah Tikva last year in which synagogues were desecrated by swastikas. A bill to be considered by Israel lawmakers would revoke the youths' citizenship, if they are convicted, The Post reported.