Tel Aviv Police Cdr. Gadi Asher
Tel Aviv Police Cdr. Gadi AsherFlash 90

The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court has partially removed the gag order on details of the police investigation into the Barnoar murders of 2009. The main suspect in the murders is Hagai Felician, 23, according to Tel Aviv Police Commander Gadi Asher, who addressed journalists.

A person described as a “senior member of the gay community” is also under arrest, but news outlets are not allowed to make his identity known.

Another suspect who is under arrest is Terlan Hankishayev, 26, of Pardes Katz in Bnei Brak.

According to the details which news outlets are permitted to publish, a sexual assault carried out by the well known homosexual led Felician, who was a soldier at the time, to carry out a revenge attack at the Barnoar, a Tel Aviv bar and club for homosexual youths. He had reason to believe that the well-known gay man would be at the bar, at the time, but he was not.

Nir Katz and Liz Trubishi were killed in the shooting, and ten other youths were wounded, two crippled for life.

About six months ago, the handgun that police believe was used to carry out the murder was discovered by police. A short time later, a criminal who knew about the murder turned state's witness. Over the last four months, he collaborated with police, who used him to record three suspects talking about the crime and implicating themselves.

The state's witness reportedly decided to cooperate because the suspects did not give him financial support that he had asked for, and also because he himself is a homosexual.

There is an emotional debate between pro-homosexual politicians, who insist on calling the murders a hate crime, and others, who say the case involves revenge for a crime committed by a homosexual, not a hatred for homosexuals.