Ramle man indicted for murdering wife, then going on shooting spree

Ramle resident Suleiman Abu Rihan is charged with murdering his wife in their home before embarking on a shooting spree in the city last month, injuring three other women.

The 32-year-old man is charged with aggravated murder in the Lod-Central District Court over the violent rampage.

The defendant had a history of violence toward his slain wife, according to prosecutors, who cite his father. Around three years ago, the deceased fled to her mother’s house in Rahat, out of fear her spouse would hurt her, but eventually returned.

She was survived by four young children, the eldest of whom is seven years old.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, the defendant killed his wife with an unlicensed semiautomatic pistol that he had stashed on the roof of the apartment building.

On the morning of May 11, the husband retrieved his handgun from the roof and went back to the apartment. He forced his wife to the floor and shot her in the back, causing her death, the indictment reads.

The defendant then went downstairs to his parents’ apartment and shot and injured his sister in the stairwell in an attempt to kill her, prosecutors say. She fled into the apartment and locked the door.

The defendant then went out onto the street, shooting at two female drivers as they passed by in their cars, according to the indictment.

At one point, a truck driver shot at the defendant, believing his rampage was a terror attack. After a brief exchange of fire, Abu Rihan fled and allegedly tried to hijack a car at gunpoint.

When he failed to steal the vehicle, Abu Rihan hid his gun on the roof of a mosque and enlisted the help of several relatives to drive him to his uncle’s home in nearby Lod.

He showered and changed clothes, but other family members reported him to the police once he reached the house, prosecutors say.

Abu Rihan is also charged on three counts of attempted murder, attempted robbery, carrying a weapon and obstruction of justice.