IDF says it nabbed Palestinian suspect who killed soldier with brick
Nazmi Abu Bakr, 49, accused of fatally striking Amit Ben-Ygal on May 12; was arrested weeks ago, but only confessed to killing now, authorities say
The Israeli military and Shin Bet security service on Sunday confirmed the arrest of a suspect in last month’s killing of IDF soldier Amit Ben-Ygal, who was fatally struck by a brick during a West Bank raid.
In the predawn hours of May 12, the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion carried out a series of arrests in the northern West Bank village of Yabed. As they were making their way out of the Palestinian village, a brick thrown from the roof of a three-story building struck and killed Sgt. First Class Ben-Ygal, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The military immediately arrested many of the building’s residents, as well as other people in the village who may have been involved. The IDF said in a statement Sunday that the alleged assailant was among those detained in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
The Shin Bet said the suspect, Nazmi Abu Bakr, a resident of Yabed, is 49 years old and resides in the building from which the rock was thrown. He had been one of several suspects accused of throwing the brick, but in recent days confessed, the agency said.
It said charges had not yet been filed by the military prosecutor.
Ben-Ygal, 21, was the first IDF soldier to be killed in action in 2020. He was posthumously promoted from staff sergeant to sergeant first class.
Despite the lack of formal charges, the announcement of the break in the case was met with widespread enthusiasm from political leaders.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces for apprehending the “lowly killer,” and said he had ordered that Abu Bakr’s family home be destroyed.
“Those who try to hurt us — we will get our hands on them, sooner or later,” he said.
Israel uses controversial home demolitions of terrorists, many of them before they are convicted, as a form of deterrent.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a statement he hoped the arrest would bring some comfort to Ben-Ygal’s bereaved parents. “Those who harm Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers will pay a heavy price. We will get to them, anywhere they may be,” he said.
That was echoed by President Reuven Rivlin, who said: “Proud of the security forces who captured the terrorist who murdered IDF Staff Sgt Amit Ben Yigal after many nights of relentless pursuit. We will act uncompromisingly against terrorism and its perpetrators to keep Israelis safe.”
According to the IDF’s initial investigation, as the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion was making its way out of the town at roughly 4:30 a.m., Ben-Ygal apparently heard a sound coming from one of the rooftops on the outskirts of the village and looked up.
As he did, exposing his face, someone on the roof of the three-story building threw the brick at him. Ben-Ygal was fatally wounded. He received treatment at the scene before being flown by helicopter to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
