Palestinians name suspected killer of Israeli father and son

Shadi Matua, a resident of Hebron who was arrested by IDF for Friday terror attack, is said to be member of Islamic Jihad

Palestinian sources on Sunday identified a suspect who was arrested by the Shin Bet security service in connection with Friday’s terror attack near the West Bank settlement of Otniel that killed an Israeli father and son.

Shadi Matua, a resident of Hebron, was arrested by IDF troops on Saturday night, and is said by Israel to be a member of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group.

Following an extensive search, security forces located the gun that killed Rabbi Ya’akov Litman, 40, and his 18-year-old son Netanel, as well as a car used to perpetrate the attack.

The Shin Bet conducted the operation in cooperation with Israel Defense Force troops.

The suspect made comments during his initial investigation that implicate him in the attack, the Shin Bet said in a statement.

Litman and his son were killed after being hit by gunfire while driving on Route 60 in the southern West Bank. Other family members in the car — the mother, a 16-year-old boy and three young girls aged 11, 9 and 5 — were lightly wounded, suffering mostly from bruises and shrapnel injuries.

Friends and family attend the funeral of Rabbi Ya’akov Litman, 40, and his son Netanel, 18, in Jerusalem on November 14, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon praised security forces for what he described as “the quick arrest of the suspect.”

Ya’alon said that Israel would not allow anyone to get away with carrying out terrorist attacks.

“Anyone who plans to harm citizens of Israel should know that he is a marked man and we will bring him to justice,” he said. “We will continue to act against terror with an uncompromising iron fist.”

Authorities say the Litmans’ car was fired on by another car that passed it on the road. After being hit, the car swerved into the opposite lane, where it crashed into rocks by the side of road. Ya’akov and Netanel were both hit by the initial gunfire, and Ya’akov was fatally wounded. Netanel Litman tried to call rescue services but was then also shot dead by one of the gunmen, who got out of his car to fire more shots into the Litmans’ vehicle.