Israel’s police chief cuts short UAE trip over spyware probe

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s police commissioner is rushing back from an official trip to deal with a growing scandal over reports of illegal police surveillance, including of members of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s inner circle. Police said in a statement Tuesday that in light of the allegations, Kobi Shabtai would return from the United Arab Emirates early to “keep a close eye on developments.” The visit was designed to set ties between the nations’ police forces and had been planned for longer. Shabtai’s return comes after the launch of a probe into Calcalist’s report that police used the spyware to target Netanyahu’s son and others. The force denies the charges.