Ron Yitzhak Kukia
Ron Yitzhak KukiaPicture used with permission of Kukia family

The State Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment Sunday against the terrorists responsible for the stabbing attack in Arad, in which IDF soldier Ron Yitzhak Kukia was murdered while waiting at a bus stop last month.

Two suspects, both Israeli Bedouin from the Negev, were arrested for the murder of Kukia the next day, Khaled and Zuhay Abu Jouda.

During the interrogation one of the suspects linked himself to the murder and even led the Shabak interrogators to the place where the soldier's weapon was hidden.

Khaled revealed that they decided to kill an IDF soldier and to steal his weapon out of a desire to "do something for the Palestinians" and in retaliation for IDF activity in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

At first, Khaled planned to abduct a soldier to promote the release of terrorists in Israeli prisons. In order to carry out the abduction, Khaled planned to use anesthetic drugs, which he had access to by virtue of his work at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva.

Later, Khaled changed the plan to the murder of a soldier and the theft of the soldier's weapon in order to carry out future attacks. He purchased a vehicle for the getaway and hid money so that he could go into hiding to evade the authorities.

The terrorists carried out surveillance of Arad during October and December prior to carrying out the attack.