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| Round-up: Jerusalem truck terrorist -- Monday's events and learnings | |||||||||
| 2017-01-10 | |||||||||
[Ynet] Three brothers of the terrorist who killed four and wounded scores remain in custody amid suspicions that they knew of Fadi Al-Qunbar's murderous intentions and did nothing to prevent his attack; sister who welcomed his attack released. Three brothers of Fadi Al-Qunbar, the terrorist who carried out the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem on Sunday that killed four and wounded 17, had their arrest extended Monday evening by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on suspicion that they knew of their brother’s murderous intentions and failed to do anything to prevent his attack. The police are treating the suspects—Hamza (31), Muhammad (30) and Mahmad (28)—as potential conspirators to a crime. In addition, the police arrested a worker of a construction material business and another resident of Jabel Mukaber, from whence the terrorist came, on the same suspicion. The arrest of another suspect who worked with Al-Qunbar in the building material business was also extended by seven days on similar suspicion. Other suspects arrested in the case from the same family, including Al-Qunbar’s sister and one of his brothers, were released on restrictive conditions after it became clear that suspicions against them were lower and did not warrant keeping them in custody. After learning of her 28-year-old brother's having slain the soldiers in East Talpiot, also known as Armon Hanatziv, Al-Qunbar's sister commented, "Praise be to God that he became a martyr. It's the most beautiful martyrdom." Consequently, the police decided that her statements constituted incitement to violence and terror. However, shortly after her arrest, a judge ruled to the contrary and ordered her release. Another suspect arrested in the aftermath of the attack was the owner of the truck used to run over the soldiers, Mussa Saraf, who was also released. During the investigation it emerged that he sold the truck to the terrorist a year ago even though the transaction was not carried out by way of a formal procedure, meaning that the police still had the vehicle registered under his name. Earlier on Monday, the four IDF officers killed in the terror attack—Erez Orbach, Shira Tzur, Shir Hajaj and Yael Yakutiel—were laid to rest.
An Israeli court released the sister and father of the terrorist who rammed his truck into a group of soldiers on Sunday, while extending the remand for several other family members. On Monday, Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court released Ahmad and Shaida al-Qunbar, the father and sister of Fadi al-Qunbar, who killed four soldiers and wounded 16 by ramming his truck into troops getting off a bus at a popular tourist site in Jerusalem. Judge Sharon Lary-Bavly ruled that there was not sufficient evidence to keep the two in custody, and released them under restrictive conditions. The remand of five suspects — brothers Hamza, 31, and Muhammad, 28, cousin Muhammad, 30, and two residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, where Qunbar lived — was extended for a further seven days on suspicion that they knew in advance about Qunbar’s plan to carry out the attack and did nothing to prevent it. Police are considering charges of conspiracy to carry out a terror attack, after they were said to have evidence that Qunbar identified with the Islamic State terrorist group, Channel 2 reported.
A previously unknown Palestinian group calling itself “the martyr of Baha Alyan collective” has claimed responsibility for the deadly truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem on Sunday, in which four soldiers were killed and 17 more were injured. The group took its name from a Palestinian terorist who, with an accomplice, killed three Israelis on a bus in Jerusalem in 2015. He was later killed by security forces.
The group’s statement said Sunday’s attack was not the first carried out by a member — without providing details — and will be followed by “a torrent of unyielding quality attacks in defense of our Jerusalem and in revenge of our martyrs and prisoners.”
Netanyahu said Monday he had ordered concrete blocks placed at popular bus stops and hitchhiking posts in the West Bank and Jerusalem, in an effort to prevent further lone-wolf terror attacks. Palestinian media reported that Qunbar was affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a secular terror group, but Qunbar’s family insisted he was “religious,”
Qunbar reached a plea deal in 2012: In exchange for confessing to purchasing the stolen car, he received a suspended sentence of two years, was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and fined NIS 1,000 ($250). Jerusalem’s Magistrate’s Court judge Dov Pollock, who was responsible for Qunbar’s case, reportedly took into account his clean record when deciding his punishment. His relatives said Monday that he had been affected by a sermon at his local mosque over the weekend attacking President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “He was very angry, and said transferring the embassy would lead to war,” Qunbar’s cousin said, according to the Israel Hayom daily.
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| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #1 More houses to destroy. Wasn't that posted here yesterday as a pre-emptive option? occupancy status ( full/empty) optional? |
| Posted by: USN, Ret 2017-01-10 15:56 |