An Israeli man has been charged on Wednesday with carrying out a violent crypto robbery in the Israeli city of Herzliya.
Prosecutors in Tel Aviv have filed an indictment against Murad Mahajneh, 46, alleging that he and two unidentified accomplices broke into an apartment last month and assaulted its resident.
The group stole roughly $650,000 worth of Bitcoin and Tether, along with a Rolex watch and cash, according to reporting from Israeli news outlet Ynet.
“Such incidents remain rare in Israel, compared to countries like the United States and France, which consistently lead the global chart of crypto-related physical attacks,” Eyal Gruper, co-founder and CEO of Israel-based Bitcoin recovery company RITREK, told DL News.
Gruper said the attack in Herzliya was the second documented physical attack on crypto holders in Israel.
Physical assaults on crypto investors have surged in 2025, with a potential annual record if the trend continues.
Bitcoin developer Jameson Lopp released a tracker of physical attacks against crypto holders, which shows how, over time, the attack vector has shifted from digital to physical, with victims ranging from small traders to high-profile entrepreneurs. Many incidents involve fake police, honey traps, or “wrench attacks” — a term for crimes where criminals threaten victims with physical harm to extract wallet keys.
In one case in May, three Florida teenagers allegedly ambushed a crypto event attendee in Las Vegas, forced him into their vehicle at gunpoint, drove him more than 70 miles into the Arizona desert, and coerced him to hand over passwords and access to crypto wallets — reportedly stealing $4 million in cryptocurrencies and NFTs — before abandoning him to walk miles to safety.
Several incidents occurred in France this year. In June, five people were charged over a crypto ransom abduction on New Year’s Eve, where the victim was beaten, doused in petrol, and locked in a car trunk.
$650,000 ‘wrench attack’ in Israel
Mahajneh’s indictment, cited by Ynet, details how the attackers waited for the victim outside his home last month, forced their way inside, and tied him up.
“We came to take the money, we’re from the Karaja family,” Mahajneh allegedly declared, apparently invoking the name of a known criminal network to intimidate the victim.
The assailants demanded access to the man’s Bitcoin wallet, beat and stabbed him in the legs, and threatened to harm his family if he refused to cooperate, according to the indictment.
Under duress, the victim revealed the password to his Exodus crypto wallet, allowing the attackers to transfer nearly 5 Bitcoin, worth about $610,000 in today’s price, and over 42,000 USDT into wallets they controlled.
The group also stole a Rolex watch worth around $50,000, a laptop, and a Trezor hardware wallet, along with 5,000 in euros and several thousand Israeli shekels in cash, according to the indictment. The stolen crypto was later routed through multiple wallets and centralised crypto exchanges, including HTX and Kyrrex, in an apparent attempt to obscure its origins.
HTX and Kyrrex did not immediately respond to DL News’ request for comments.
Two days after the assault, Mahajneh allegedly phoned the victim again, demanding their private keys and warning that he would find his family if he contacted police: “We’re not leaving you,” he reportedly said.
The State Prosecutor’s Office has charged Mahajneh with aggravated robbery, extortion, burglary, obstruction of justice, and making threats. His alleged accomplices remain at large.
Ekin Genç is DL News’ Editor-in-Chief. Got a tip? Email at ekin@dlnews.com.