Police arrest murder suspect at airport as he tries to leave country

Israel Police officers arrested a murder suspect at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday as he allegedly tried to escape the country, police announced on Sunday morning.

The suspect, identified as 60-year-old Alexander Zabailov, allegedly murdered 26-year-old Victoria (Vika) Shkolnik, with whom he apparently had a romantic relationship and whose body was discovered in Ashkelon on Monday.

Shkolnik’s body was found at the bottom of a cliff on a beach in Ashkelon last week with signs of severe violence. Police suspect that the cause of death was blunt force trauma from a rock.

After her body was identified and Zabailov became a prime suspect, a search for him took police from a secret apartment he owned to the ticketing counter at the airport where he was arrested.

On Thursday, the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court ordered him kept in custody, and police intend to file an indictment in the coming days for murder and obstruction of justice.

“The professional actions that were taken in the initial stages of the investigation led to a speedy identification of the suspect and to his arrest shortly after as he tried to escape the country and [escape] justice,” said the commander of the Israel Police Southern District, Deputy Commissioner Chaim Boblil, on Sunday.

Shkolnik’s sister Heleny told the Ynet news outlet that her sister had a four-year-old daughter.

“I want her murderer to sit in prison for as many years as possible. He took my soul. I want to see his face and ask him why he did something like this,” she said.

An unnamed acquaintance of Shkolnik’s told the Haaretz news site that she had a partner, a mother and three siblings and that she had suffered abuse at the hands of her family. The acquaintance said Shkolnik had been addicted to drugs and alcohol and that they had helped her with finances, recovery and caring for her daughter, but that after they stopped helping her financially, her condition deteriorated and her daughter was put in foster care.

According to the Israel Women’s Network, Shkolnik was the 37th woman murdered this year. This is compared to 29 women murdered last year.

Women’s rights activists have voiced concerns in the last year that changes in key areas of government policy would have an impact on women’s safety. In particular, they have condemned the decision by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in February to cease funding the Michal Sela Forum’s security programs for women at risk of domestic abuse.

In addition, they have warned that recently relaxed firearm restrictions could exacerbate the violence that women face, particularly those in dangerous living situations.