Five residents of the central city of Jaffa were arrested Tuesday morning on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Sheikh Mohammad Abu Najam and the attempted murder of one of his relatives, Israel Hayom reported.
Abu Najam, 39, a senior Islamic Movement official, was the leader of the terror group's northern branch for the Jaffa area. In January of this year, he was shot to death.
At the time of his death, Abu Najam was not known to the police, and it is still not clear if the suspects, four men and a woman, all in their 20s, attempted to harm him or his relative, 26-year-old Omar Kurdi, who was seriously injured in the shooting.
It is believed that the murders were committed due to a feud between the two families which has claimed ten lives so far, Israel Hayom added.
Since the early stages of the investigation, the police have known that the murder is connected to the feud, which began several years ago due to the families' criminal activities.
The investigation, managed by the Tel Aviv District police, has been ongoing for the past six months, and included both open and undercover investigations. After the investigation turned open, the suspects were arrested.
All of the suspects are residents of Jaffa who live opposite Abu Najam and know him and Kurdi well.
They will be brought Tuesday to the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court for an extension of their arrest.