GUN-RUNNING SEQUEL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 230, 28 September 1943, Page 4

GUN-RUNNING SEQUEL

JEWS HEAVILY SENTENCED

Rec. 2.30 JERUSALEM, Sept, 27. After a hearing, which lasted seven weeks, a Military Court sentenced Leib Sirkin and Abraham Raichlin, Jewish civilians, to 10 and 17 years' imprisonment respectively. The prosecution alleged that they were connecteed with an organisation which directed the stealing of large quantities of ammunition, which they allegedly received The chief witnesses for the prosecution were the two British soldiers sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment last month for gun-running. Two British soldiers, Privates Charles Stoner and Christopher Harris were each sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment in August after a trial, durhifr which, it was alleged, that they had taken guns and ammunition from a number of battlefields in North \frica including El Alamein. and sold them in Palestine. One of the largest consignments taken, into Haifa included 300 rifles and 105,000 rounds of small arms ammunition, for which the soldiers received £900. for which the soldiers received £900 Arabs and Jews were reported at the end of August to be building ur> secret private armies, well provided with modern weapons. It was believed that both sides had been supplied impartially by a gun-running organisation operating from countries bordering on Palestine situation threatened to develop into civil war.