Fugitive teen arrested in murder case; prison officer suspected of helping him hide
Israel Prison Service officer allegedly had romantic relationship with suspect’s jailed brother and gave him her phone to contact people outside prison
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Police on Tuesday arrested Avior Sasson, a 17-year-old suspected of involvement in the killing of Jerusalemite Benayahu Razi, 19, after a manhunt that lasted more than two weeks.
Sasson was detained while traveling in a taxi at the entrance to Jerusalem, police said. Detectives from the Jerusalem District Central Unit stopped the vehicle with assistance from the police aerial unit. Police published a video of the arrest.
He was brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for a remand hearing.
Shortly before the arrest, authorities announced that both an Israel Prison Service officer and Sasson’s imprisoned brother had been detained on suspicion of helping him evade police.
According to police, the officer gave the inmate her cellphone, which he allegedly used to communicate through encrypted applications with people outside the prison. Those contacts allegedly helped Avior Sasson evade capture and conceal his whereabouts.
Investigators suspect that the 34-year-old officer, from Hod Hasharon, was romantically involved with Sasson’s brother, who is serving a prison sentence at the central Israel facility where she works for operating a loan network and extortion by threats.
חקירת רצח המנוח בניהו רזי: בתום מצוד נעצר לפני זמן קצר החשוד אביאור ששון
מפקד מחוז ירושלים ניצב אבשלום פלד הנחה לשלב במצוד אחר החשוד אביאור ששון את היחידה המרכזית במחוז ירושלים וכלל האמצעים העומדים לרשותה, ובתוך כך נחשף כי במהלך הימלטותו הסתתר החשוד במקומות שונים במרכז ובצפון… pic.twitter.com/qiGdRqyFB0
— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) July 28, 2026
The officer is suspected of obstruction of justice and breach of trust. The alleged relationship and use of the phone were uncovered by the Prison Service’s intelligence division, which passed the information to police.
The Prison Service said it had “zero tolerance” for violations of ethical standards.
Authorities have not yet determined the full extent of the alleged assistance or whether Avior Sasson had received instructions, information or other resources from his brother by phone.
Razi, 19, was stabbed to death on July 11 in a short-term rental apartment in Jerusalem’s Nachlaot neighborhood. A friend who was with him was lightly injured and called police.
Investigators believe Razi and his friend were lured to the apartment before being attacked by a group of armed teenagers.
Police have linked the killing to a dispute involving Razi and his former girlfriend, 19-year-old Agam Tsarafi, who has denied involvement. Her friend Shilat Houta and Sasson’s mother, Linor Sasson, are also suspected of playing roles in arranging the encounter and bringing the alleged attackers to the apartment.
At the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors presented messages allegedly sent by Tsarafi before the killing, Channel 13 reported.
In one message, she allegedly wrote, “You said Shilat and I are whores, right? Come see what whores do.” She also allegedly told the other suspects, “I’ll finish him. He dies today,” as the group armed itself with knives, clubs and a meat tenderizer, according to the report.
Sasson’s 16-year-old sister was previously arrested on suspicion of helping him avoid capture.
Police took the unusual step of publishing Sasson’s name and photograph despite his being a minor, warning that anyone who assisted him could face charges as an accessory after the fact.
The suspects in Razi’s killing have denied the allegations against them.
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