Arrested in Tel Aviv on an Extradition Request or Red Notice: First Steps and Which Court Decides

What does a Red Notice mean when police stop you?

An INTERPOL Red Notice asks law enforcement to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar action. It is not an international arrest warrant, and INTERPOL cannot order an Israeli arrest. Israeli authorities apply local law. Ask for the legal basis and whether custody rests on a written section 6 order, a separate Israeli warrant or another process. A notice alone does not show which order exists.

A Red Notice, extradition request, domestic arrest warrant and immigration decision are different things. Extradition is court-supervised surrender; removal or deportation is a separate process (see extradition versus deportation). The European Arrest Warrant applies between EU Member States, not to Israel. For an arrest in Israel, check Israeli law and the agreement relevant to the requesting state.

The first 48 hours: a practical action plan

Section 7(a) requires a first court appearance within 48 hours after detention under section 6. This is a practical plan, not a promise that every step occurs at a fixed hour.

How long can provisional detention last before the petition?

Section 6 permits a written provisional detention order by the Attorney General or representative, or a police officer meeting the statutory rank requirement, where extraditability is presumed, a petition is expected and detention is necessary to secure extradition. This is not a general power for airport or border staff.

Under section 7(b), the first detention order after appearance cannot exceed 20 days. A Magistrates’ Court may authorise further periods on the Attorney General’s request if circumstances delay the section 3 petition. Section 7(c) generally caps combined detention under sections 6 and 7 at 60 days, with a possible extension of up to 10 additional days only after the requesting state’s request and the Attorney General’s notification of a prima facie basis to file. The extra period is conditional, not automatic; the 48-hour appearance rule is separate.

After a petition is filed, section 5 allows detention until the court decides the petition, unless the order is cancelled earlier. Release on bail or conditions may be considered, and section 22 applies the bail framework until the extraditability declaration is final. Release is not automatic: counsel should apply at the current stage and provide concrete information about residence, reporting arrangements, health and family responsibilities. The Supreme Court has held that the risk of flight carries special weight in extradition detention because Israel must be able to fulfil its obligations to the requesting state. A release proposal should therefore address how the person will attend hearings and remain available for surrender; personal or medical circumstances do not guarantee release.

Where does the case go after the airport or local police station?

Section 3 defines the extradition District Court as Jerusalem District Court. The Minister of Justice may direct that the person be brought before it; the Attorney General or representative files the petition. Israel identifies the Department of International Affairs in the State Attorney’s Office, Ministry of Justice, as the central authority for incoming and outgoing requests.

The Israel Airports Authority lists the main Israel Police station in the parking area opposite Terminal 1 and service points on Terminal 3’s ground floor, eastern zone, via Gate 3 (03-9715444; 03-9750998). These contacts can help a family identify the responsible unit and custody location, but do not prove the person is held there or that this station handles every extradition alert.

Transfer map in words: airport or other arrest location → Israeli police / responsible law-enforcement unit → first appearance before a Magistrates’ Court within 48 hours if the petition is not yet filed → Jerusalem District Court once the section 3 petition is filed → Supreme Court appeal, if brought within the statutory 30-day period. The appeal clock runs from the District Court decision, not the original stop.

Thus, “airport to Jerusalem” is only shorthand for the petition stage: the first court depends on filing status. For the national procedure and challenge grounds, see the Israel guide and the challenge guide; for the court’s local layer, see Extradition Lawyer in Jerusalem.

Which treaty applies, and does an EU warrant apply?

Section 2A requires an extradition agreement between Israel and the requesting state and provides for reciprocity unless the Minister of Justice decides otherwise. Israel is party to the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, in force for Israel from 26 December 1967. For the particular requesting state, counsel must check the applicable agreement, any relevant reservations and the required documents; the national framework is covered in the Israel guide linked above.

The European Arrest Warrant is a separate EU Member State-to-Member State mechanism, not Israel’s extradition procedure. A Red Notice does not prove a treaty basis or determine extraditability. See how to check an INTERPOL Red Notice.

What should family and foreign counsel send now?

• Identity: full name and aliases, date of birth, nationality, passport details and ID copies.
• Custody: arrest time and place, responsible unit, written section 6 order or other warrant, case number, actual detention location and next hearing date.
• Foreign case: arrest warrant, charges, judgment and sentence if convicted, and correspondence from the requesting authority. Preserve originals and label translations.
• Release information: residence, work or study, health and medication, dependants and other documents relevant to conditional release. Do not publish sensitive papers online.
• Consulate: a foreign national may request consular notification and access. Article 36 of the Vienna Convention provides for notification without delay on request and requires the person to be informed of this right. The consulate may help with communication and finding counsel but does not decide extradition.

A hypothetical example: why the filing status matters

Hypothetical: a traveller is stopped at Ben Gurion at 09:00. If detained before the petition is filed, the first appearance is before a Magistrates’ Court within 48 hours; if the section 3 petition is filed during that period, a District Court judge hears the person, and section 3 identifies that court as Jerusalem District Court. The family should establish the detention time and filing status immediately.

What this page does not decide

This page covers the arrest location, first 48 hours and handoff to the central process. Refusal grounds and remedies require an individual assessment; see the challenge guide. Identify any immigration custody separately.

The site’s team coordinates cross-border defence with local counsel. To share the available papers for an initial assessment, use the case request form.