Yair Gal Klein ( Hebrew יאיר קליין ; also known as Yair Klein , born August 20, 1948 ) is a former lieutenant colonel of the Israeli army, the founder of the private company “Hod ha-khanit” (Spearhead).
| Yair Klein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date of Birth | August 20, 1943 (aged 76) |
| Place of Birth | Israel |
| Affiliation | mercenary |
| Type of army | landing, infantry |
| Years of service | 1962-1977 |
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel in stock |
Biography
Born in the kibbutz Nitzanim. At the age of five, Yair was evacuated from the kibbutz during the Arab-Israeli War (1947-1949) . In 1962 he was called up for military service in a parachute landing. He was in the elite reconnaissance unit "Karob", which was engaged in the targeted extermination of militants in Jordan. He participated in the liberation of a Lebanese plane captured by terrorists at Ben Gurion Airport , distinguished himself in the battles for Suez during the Doomsday War . In 1977, he resigned due to a conflict with the command.
A participant in the Lebanon war of 1982 commanded a reservist brigade.
He creates the company “Hod Hashanit”, whose specialization is defense export and special training. In 1985, operates in Guatemala and Honduras.
In 1988, the company, led by Klein, began training AGDEGAM self-defense groups to counter the terror of the communist partisans of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) . Some of the cadets who completed the training subsequently participated in extremist terror and assassination attempts on Colombian politicians.
In 1989, the organization of the "School of Survival" on the island of Antigua. Delivery of a batch of Israeli small arms.
In the same year, Klein was charged with exporting military equipment without the necessary licenses in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court. Klein pleaded guilty and was convicted in late November 1990. During the trial, he explained that he pleaded guilty "to put an end to the witch hunt to arrange orgy in the press based on rumors and speculation that harm the state and me." He claimed that he acted “in good faith and in the hope that my actions were within the law” [1] .
From 1996 to 1998, Klein was located in Liberia and Sierra Leone , the main activity was according to Klein himself "training of private security companies."
Between 1999 and 2000, he spent 16 months in Sierra Leone prison on charges of transporting and delivering weapons to rebels from the United Revolutionary Front [2] .
In 2001, he was convicted in absentia by a Colombian court of 14 years. Klein and his company, Khod Hakhanit, were accused of training drug trafficking and right-wing militias in Colombia in the 1980s. The Colombian government made unsuccessful attempts to extradite him from Israel. In a 2007 interview, Klein claimed that he was sent to Colombia at the request of the National Police in order to train its members and stated that he was ready to return and help destroy the militants and rebels.
On April 3, 2007, Interpol issued an arrest warrant for Yair Klein on charges of organizing military training for militants of Colombian drug cartels . On August 28, 2007, he was arrested at the entrance to Russia. In April 2010, the European Court of Human Rights banned Russia from extraditing Klein to Colombia due to a threat to his life. In November 2010, a retired paratrooper was extradited from Russia to Israel [3] .
Notes
- ↑ Hugh Orgel ". Israeli Reserve Colonel Convicted of Illegal Sale of Arms, Know-how. (Eng.) // Jewish Telegraphic Agency .. - (3 Dec 1990) ..
- ↑ Strategy Page: Counter terrorism articles, .
- ↑ Extradición de Yair Klein fue suspendida por Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos - Archivo - Archivo .