father of the indicted minor
father of the indicted minorHonenu

On Thursday afternoon, the Shin Bet published a report detailing its actions that led to the filing of an indictment this morning against the boy suspected of carrying out a stone-throwing attack in which Palestinian Authority resident Aisha Rabi was murdered.

"In recent weeks, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police have investigated a terrorist attack that caused the death of Aisha Rabi, a resident of Diyeh and a mother of nine, near the settlement of Rehelim in Samaria, on 12 October 18. It should be emphasized that when the attack was announced, the investigation into the incident began with the Shin Bet and the Israel Police, and all the directions of the investigation were examined," the statement said.

"As the investigation progressed and intelligence information became relevant and up-to-date, investigations began regarding the suspicion that this was a terrorist attack which came from the Pri Ha'aretz in Rechalim. At the same time, the Shin Bet acted to arrive at the truth before making arrests and interrogations, while holding discussions with the heads of the yeshiva and other bodies. In the face of these actions, there was a deliberate and ongoing effort by many parties with an interest in the matter to disrupt the course of the investigation.

"As part of this effort, on the morning after the attack, on Saturday, a group of extremist activists left a car in Yitzhar for a meeting in Rechalim in order to brief yeshiva students about how to prepare for and deal with Shin Bet interrogations. The Shin Bet and the Israel Police carried out numerous intelligence and evidence-gathering operations, following which a number of minors, students of the Pri Ha'aretz Yeshiva, were arrested for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the attack," the Shin Bet stated.

"During the course of the investigation, additional actions were carried out by interested parties aimed at disrupting the investigation and spreading lies and slander against the security bodies involved in the investigation."

The Shin Bet claimed that all of the investigation procedures were carried out under close judicial supervision by the State Attorney's Office and the courts. "During the interrogation, the interrogees were given all the conditions required by law according to their age and their religious beliefs."

"At the end of the analysis of the evidence and the findings of the investigation, it was decided to indict one of the minors, and the indictment was based, among other things, on very significant forensic evidence.

They also claimed that "parallel to the investigation, there was a deliberate and ongoing effort by those with an interest in slandering the Shin Bet and its employees and delegitimizing its activities. The conduct of these elements, who also try to influence those who are not involved in criminal activity to refrain from cooperating with the investigating authorities, is extremely serious and imposes on young boys the misconception that they will not bear responsibility for serious acts they committed."

"In light of the manipulative claims currently being made by those interested parties, and according to the indictment, it should be said that this is a terrorist attack in every respect, and similar acts carried out by Arab terrorists, including minors, were dealt with equally by the defense establishment and the law enforcement agencies. It should be noted that the suspects in this terrorist incident are in contact with violent hilltop youth activists.

"The escalation in the scope of Jewish terror activity in 2018 has the potential to cause a loss of life, as was the case in this attack, and at the same time it leads to an escalation of Arab terrorism against Jews," the Shin Bet concluded.