A day after Mali and Liel Yahalomi were located in Argentina following an intensive weeklong international search, the Israel Police representative in South America described the dramatic moment the mother and daughter were found, saying they apparently did not expect authorities to track them down. The precise reason behind their disappearance, however, remains unclear.
Lt. Col. Walter Kogan, the Israel Police representative in South America, spoke Sunday about encountering Mali and Liel after the pair had been declared missing and authorities launched a massive effort to locate them.
“They thought we wouldn’t catch them and wouldn’t find them,” Kogan said in a private conversation about the operation.
Kogan also described his emotions upon finally seeing the two alive and unharmed, saying he felt “excitement that we found them and that they are alive and everything is okay.”
While pleased that the search had ended successfully, Kogan said he was taken aback by the enormous public attention the case generated.
“Shocked by the exposure. I didn’t expect it. We did an excellent job. But it’s just another job, and that’s the role,” Kogan said.
Meanwhile, Israel Police spokesman Aryeh Doron told Kan News on Reshet Bet Sunday morning that investigators have still not established exactly why Mali and Liel decided to disappear.
“At this stage, the police still do not know the exact reason for the disappearance of Mali and Liel Yahalomi,” Doron said.
Doron also addressed footage showing Kogan meeting the two after they were found. He said police believed that after so many people had anxiously followed the search, the public deserved reassurance that Mali and Liel were safe.
“The people of Israel, who were worried, deserved to see them healthy and whole, standing on their feet. At this stage, we are not aware of any unusual incident, only small debts.”
Investigators said Vienna appears to have served as a convenient transit point for the two because of the Austrian capital’s major transportation network, which offers easy access by train and other means of travel to numerous destinations across Europe.
The investigation also uncovered evidence that Mali attempted to telephone the Israeli consulate in Vienna. The call went unanswered, and investigators have not yet determined why she was trying to contact the consulate.
Mali and Liel were ultimately located while traveling aboard a bus in Buenos Aires. Undercover local police vehicles stopped the bus, after which Kogan, representing the Israel Police Intelligence Division in South America, boarded and approached the pair.
The encounter reportedly came as a particular surprise to Mali and Liel, who suddenly found themselves face-to-face with a Hebrew-speaking Israeli police representative thousands of miles from Israel.
During a brief questioning at the scene, the two were asked what had prompted them to abruptly leave and cut off contact.
“What happened?” the police official asked.
“We simply want to disconnect from the family, from the country,” Mali and Liel responded.
They were then asked, “Is someone threatening you or trying to extort you?”
“No, no one,” they replied.
When questioned about whether they had fled because of financial debts, the two again denied it.
“No, we simply want to leave everything,” they said.
{Matzav.com}
