The Hadera Magistrate's Court extended the detention of A., 25, a reserve soldier from Afula, and another suspect, 21, by five days on suspicion of murdering a driver on Highway 6 near the Tut Interchange.
The police charge the two with conspiracy to commit murder, threats, obstruction of investigation, and concealment of evidence.
The murder occurred last night during a dispute between drivers. The reserve soldier claimed self-defense and claimed during his interrogation that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder from the war in Gaza.
The soldier's attorney, attorney Ronen Haliva, stated: "This is a soldier in an elite unit who returned with his brother and their partners from his sister's swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall. During their trip on Highway 6, another vehicle carrying two passengers began driving aggressively and dangerously, while swerving in a life-threatening manner. The honorable court confirmed this fact.
At a certain point, my client chose to stop on the side of the road to get away from the danger, but the other vehicle chose to stop in front of him and the two got out of it. It was their threatening behavior as they approached that caused the soldier real fear and apprehension. He defended his life and fired a shot to deter. The second he realized that the other was injured, he ran back to his vehicle to get a tourniquet and help."
Attorney Oshrat Kirma, who represents the soldier's brother on behalf of the public defender's office, said: "This is a normative young man who only recently completed reserve service in a combat unit in Gaza. It is clear that he had no intention of causing the young man's unfortunate death and he is in a difficult mental state in light of the tragic outcome of the incident. He is cooperating fully with the investigators and we are waiting for the police to conclude the investigation as soon as possible."