Police arrest 2 in Lod murders, including of mother killed in front of her daughter
Residents of central city suspected of killing man earlier this month and teacher in July; 16-year-old arrested in Jisr az-Zarqa over teenager’s shooting death
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Police arrested two men in Lod on Wednesday for suspected involvement in two murders, as authorities attempted to rein in violent crime in the Israeli Arab community.
The two, both in their 30s, are suspected of playing a role in the shooting death of Alah Alsach on a street in the central city earlier this month.
Police also said the pair may have been involved in the killing of 30-year-old elementary school teacher Rabab Abu Siyam.
The mother of three was shot dead with her daughter in her lap in Lod in July in a case that horrified many Israelis and sparked calls for better protection of women.
Police also reportedly believe the pair may have ties to the killing of a woman in the city in 2016.
“The two suspects are like a single hand. They’re very good friends and help each other, acting like a single person. They do everything together,” a police source told Ynet.
One of the suspects is a cousin and friend of Abu Siyam’s former husband, who is suspected of ordering her murder.
Nine people have been murdered in Lod this year.
In a separate case, police on Wednesday arrested a 16-year-old suspected of killing another teenager in the northern town of Jisr az-Zarqa.
Walid Shahab, 14, was hit by a stray bullet outside a pizzeria last week and died of his wounds on Tuesday.
Also Wednesday, police arrested four residents of the northern Arab city of Umm al-Fahm on suspicion of connection to the murder of Arab Israeli journalist Nidal Agbaria in September.
נעצרו ארבעה חשודים במעורבות ברצח נידאל אגבאריה – בתום חקירה סמויה, עצרו בלשי ימ"ר, בסיוע לוחמי מג"ב וכוחות נוספים, ארבעה תושבי אום אל פאחם. בחיפוש שנעשה בבית אחד החשודים נתפס אקדח, החקירה נמשכת pic.twitter.com/HXDByOy880
— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) October 19, 2022
According to the Abraham Initiatives, which tracks violence in the Arab community, at least 92 Arabs have been killed in homicides in Israel since the beginning of the year.
Arab communities have seen a surge in violence in recent years amid a rise in organized crime and the proliferation of illegal weapons.
The Times of Israel Community.