Israeli police investigate woman over suspected plot to kill Netanyahu

An anti-government activist in her 70s has been placed under investigation on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, police said on Wednesday.

The suspect is accused of having expressed her intent to kill Netanyahu and sought assistance from other activists to obtain weapons and gather information about the prime minister’s security arrangements, police said.

The National Unit for Serious and International Crime Investigations and the Shin Bet internal security agency have passed their evidence on to the State Attorney's office pending possible formal charges.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz, quoting sources familiar with the case, said the woman had recently fallen ill and told people she planned to "take Netanyahu with her".

Several people who heard her remarks contacted police, prompting the opening of the investigation. She was arrested around six weeks ago and has been released to house arrest.

Haaretz said the woman, who comes from Tel Aviv and was not identified, was suspected of wanting to target Netanyahu with an explosive device or rocket-propelled grenade.

In 1995 the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by a right-wing extremist opposed to his peace efforts with the Palestinians. In 1957, Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, narrowly escaped a grenade attack by a mentally ill man.