Israeli PSV player's wife, children tied up in home invasion robbery

Armed robbers invaded the Amsterdam home of PSV football player Eran Zahavi on Sunday, and tied up his wife and four children in what she called a "horrifying experience." One of the two robbers threatened them with a firearm during the ordeal.

"It is important to note that the children were not touched and they are fine! Physically. Mentally, all of us will need to work together and get through this in the best way," Shay Zahavi said on social media.

The incident occurred around 2:40 p.m. when she opened the door after hearing the doorbell. Police confirmed one of the suspects was dressed as a postal worker. She was immediately pushed against the wall by him, when a second man holding a firearm at the time entered the house and threatened the resident.

Aside from being tied up and threatened, the wife and four children also had their mouths wrapped with tape. According to the newspaper Het Parool, robbers also cut off some of the woman's hair. The two suspects then searched for valuables and eventually ran off with various personal belongings and cash. Because the robbery was violent and traumatic for all victims, victim support has also been called in.

“This is an unpleasant incident, far beyond a standard break-in to a house and theft of property,” the footballer said. When the robbery took place, Zahavi was on his way to meet his fellow teammates for the away match against Willem II in Tilburg. After he was informed about the incident, he immediately rushed back to his home in the Buitenveldert neighborhood of Amsterdam Zuid.

Police released the description of two suspects, both around 20 years old and between 1.65 and 1.70 meters in height. The first suspect was described as having a darker skin tone, and was wearing a postal worker's shirt under a black jacket. The second suspect had a lighter skin tone, wore a green jacket and a light blue medical face mask.

“Yesterday, my family and I went through a horrifying experience of robbery and attack in the place that is supposed to be the safest in the world for us: our home,” Shay Zahavi wrote on Instagram on Monday. “We went through some difficult hours and we need a moment to take in everything.”

The case was also being investigated to determine if anti-Semitism was one possible motive.