Court extends remand of family of stabber who killed soldier in Karmiel mall

Resident of Arab town of Nahf was shot dead by another soldier who was seriously injured; judge finds ‘reasonable basis’ for suspicions against attacker’s parents, siblings

Police arrest the sister of an Arab citizen who carried out a stabbing attack, near the scene of the attack, at a shopping center in Karmiel, northern Israel, July 3, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)
Police arrest the sister of an Arab citizen who carried out a stabbing attack, near the scene of the attack, at a shopping center in Karmiel, northern Israel, July 3, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)

The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday extended the detention of relatives of a terrorist who fatally stabbed an off-duty soldier and seriously wounded another at a commercial center in Karmiel a day earlier.

Haaretz reported that the assailant’s parents, sister and three of his brothers will be detained until July 11. Another brother, who is a minor, will remain in custody until Friday.

Sgt. Aleksandr Iakiminskyi, 19, succumbed to his wounds after being stabbed at a mall in Karmiel, in northern Israel, on Wednesday. The stabber was later identified as Jawwad Omar Rubia, an Israeli citizen from the nearby Arab town of Nahf.

Iakiminskyi’s friend Sgt. Nathan Shimon Avni, also an off-duty soldier, shot and killed Rubia. Avni sustained serious wounds in the attack, and is now in stable condition.

The mayor of Nahf decried the attack, saying it harmed the town’s good relations with its Jewish neighbors. Hamas, meanwhile, praised Rubia, but did not identify him as a member of the terror group.

Members of Rubia’s family, who were arrested at the mall and in Nahf, are suspected of tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit murder and failure to prevent a crime.

Police patrol the perimeter of a mall after a stabbing attack there, in Karmiel, northern Israel, July 3, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Judge Doron Porat, who presided over the hearing, said the suspicion had a “reasonable basis.”

The police had requested that the family members remain in custody for 11 days. The judge extended the family’s remand for only eight days, and just one day for the brother who is a minor.

Sgt. Aleksandr Iakiminskyi, 19, killed in a terror stabbing attack in Karmiel, June 3, 2024. (Courtesy)

The police often question relatives of terror suspects to determine if they had any involvement in the attack perpetrated by their family member and to understand if the attack was coordinated by a terror group.

Rubia’s sister — who works at the Karmiel mall — mother and brother were arrested at the scene of the crime. The newspaper cited Itzik Abu Hatzera, the Karmiel police chief, as saying that the three were detained after being asked to come to identify Rubia’s body.

Police arrest the brother of an Arab citizen who carried out a stabbing attack, near the scene of the attack, at a shopping center in Karmiel, northern Israel, July 3, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Abu Hatzera added that police intended to demolish Rubia’s home.

Home demolitions are a controversial measure that the Israeli security establishment maintains can deter future terror attacks. Critics say that the tool is a war crime and a form of collective punishment.

Jeremy Sharon and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

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