Lior Farhi Hy"d
Lior Farhi Hy"dCourtesy: the family

A court in Petach Tikva has extended the remands of the four Israeli Arab men accused of murdering security guard Lior Farhi in the Samaria community of Shaarei Tikva. Farhi, 40, was run over as he attempted to protect IDF soldiers from Arab smugglers.

The four suspects are charged with intentionally causing Farhi’s death. They are also charged with illegally transporting Arab men living under the Palestinian Authority into Israeli areas, interfering with an investigation, conspiracy after a crime has been committed, destroying evidence, and leaving the scene without extending aid.

They have been named as Arkan Badir, Ala Sarsur and Hamad Farij Al-Badawi of Umm el-Fahm and Rushdi Rabaa of Tel Aviv.

Police told the court that the four should not be charged as terrorists. The killing should be considered in the realm of criminal activity, not attacks motivated by hatred of Israel, they said.

Representatives for the police noted that the attack initially appeared to be terrorism. However, they said, “after two days of investigation this scenario was refuted, and the investigation became a [regular] criminal investigation.”

Farhi’s coworkers and neighbors said he took his work very seriously. “He wanted to do everything for the people in the community. He wanted to make them safe and give them a feeling they were coming to a safe place,” said Shaarei Tikva resident Ayelet Ben Menachem.

”We called him ‘Mr. Security,” said friend Dvir Carmon. In the morning Farhi was killed, he and Carmon were videotaping illegal infiltration by PA Arabs in order to bring attention to the threat smugglers posed in the region.

Farhi is survived by his wife Naomi, who is pregnant, and three children.