Palestinian to be indicted for murder of Prison Service worker, but not for terrorism

The Israel Police and Shin Bet say they have solved the murder of Israel Prison Service (IPS) employee Yochai Avni last month, and that a Palestinian man has been arraigned and will be indicted within days.

The suspect is named as Ibrahim Mansour, 22, from the West Bank town of Bidu.

However, the statement does not mention a nationalistic motive for the murder. It says there was no connection to the victim being an IPS worker, and that there was no prior acquaintance between the two.

Avni, a 40-year-old dog handler, was found stabbed to death on July 8 following a fire in his home in the West Bank settlement of Givon Hahadasha, outside Jerusalem.

His colleagues at the prison where he was employed noticed his absence from work and turned up at his home to check on him. When they arrived, they saw smoke emerging from the home and called firefighters to the scene.

Mansour was detained two days later as a suspect.

In the new statement, police and the Shin Bet say investigators have concluded that Mansour managed to break into Givon Hahadasha at nighttime and tried to enter several homes until he climbed in through the window of a home rented by Avni, who was sleeping.

He woke up and a physical struggle broke out between the two, with Mansour stabbing Avni many times with a sharp object until the latter collapsed, according to the statement. Mansour then took a large knife and stabbed Avni in the neck, killing him.

Mansour then allegedly stole several items — which he burned later — and attempted to set the house on fire before fleeing, though the fire ended up going out on its own.

Mansour’s remand is currently extended until August 27.