Cop questioned on far-right rapper’s alleged abuse of ties with police

The Department of Internal Police Investigations on Sunday questioned an officer in connection with allegations made in a Haaretz exposé that far-right rapper and influencer Yoav Eliasi, who goes by the stage name “The Shadow,” abused his relationship with the police.

The officer’s interrogation lasted several hours, and he was released under restrictive conditions, with the internal investigations department opening a formal investigation into the matter.

Recordings and other material cited in the exposé last week indicated that Eliasi had used his ties with police to avoid harsh repercussions after violent incidents in a Tel Aviv club of which he was a part-owner.

Eliasi was the captain of the Tel Aviv area’s civilian security team and is a vocal supporter of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has championed the volunteer squads following the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023.

The rapper was suspended from his role in the security team following the Haaretz exposé, which claimed he had bragged about thwarting the closure of the John Doe nightclub on Tel Aviv’s bustling Rothschild Boulevard after a security guard was stabbed there in September.

Additionally, Israel Police Chief Danny Levy opened an inquiry into the suspicions.

At the time, Eliasi was a partner in a company that had a stake in the building where the club operates.

Citing audio recordings obtained by the outlet, the report said Eliasi told one of his business partners that he was “educating” the police “that they can’t touch this club.”

He further urged his partner to call him about any issues regarding the club’s relationship with law enforcement. “You call me right away, no matter the time,” he allegedly said.

Employees told the outlet that Eliasi was able to ensure that the club was only shut down for a week, as opposed to the customary 21 days, following the September stabbing.

The rapper’s lawyers told Haaretz and Channel 12 last week that he has not been officially ousted from his role, but instead chose to step aside until further notice as police continue their inquiry into the suspicions.

Eliasi has sparked controversy for allegedly abusing his powers in the past, including an incident during the June 2025 war with Iran, when he and his civilian security squad detained a group of foreign journalists at a missile impact site in Tel Aviv, only for a police spokesman to subsequently release them.

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.

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