Palestinian terror suspect’s family deny they turned him in

A family member of Hebron resident Shadi Ahmad Matua, the suspected perpetrator of a deadly terror attack in the West Bank on Friday, denies reports that his father and brother turned him in.

Matua, aged 28 and married with two children, is suspected of shooting dead Rabbi Yaakov Litman, 40, and his 18-year-old son, Netanel.

The Shin Bet security service had said Sunday that Matua’s father and brother had informed the Israeli authorities of his involvement, in a bid to prevent the family home from being demolished.

Shadi Matua is believed to have killed Yaakov and Netanel Litman in a West Bank terror attack on November 13, 2015. (Courtesy Shin Bet)

But his uncle, Louis, tells Haaretz that the father, a merchant, was stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint sometime after the attack, but did not indicate to them that his son was involved.

“In his identity card, they went over the names of his children,” Louis is quoted as saying, “and when they got to Shadi they began to ask him a lot of questions. It was clear that they had information about him, and they asked the father where he was staying and he said at home.

“After that, they put the father into a military vehicle that departed in a convoy in the direction of the home. They surrounded [the house] and arrested Shadi, and a few hours later the father was released.”

— Stuart Winer contributed.