Police arrest 2 teens for Rahat murder
Suspects admit to murdering, burning body of their 16-year-old classmate Qais Abu Siam, tell investigators they envied his academic success, popularity among girls
Police arrested on Saturday two teenagers in connection to the murder and burning of the body of 16-year-old Qais Abu Siam, their classmate at the Rahat school for the gifted. The two claimed they were envious of Abu Siam for his academic success and his popularity among girls.
The badly-burnt body of the 16-year-old teen was found in a grove in the southern Bedouin town of Rahat overnight Friday. The boy's relatives told Ynet his body was found beneath a burning tire. Abu Siam and the two suspects attended one of the best educational institutions in the area.
The two suspects said Qais used to "nag them" and they consequently decided to hurt him two weeks ago. Qais awoke on Thursday at 5:20 am and went to pray at the mosque. He then went to school and later to the sports hall, escorted by the two suspects.
They led the victim to a grove, brutally beat and stabbed him and later burned his body. Qais's family noticed he was missing that night and immediately launched a widespread search to find him together with police forces. They eventually found the burnt body in the grove.
Initially, police arrested a distant female relative of the teen on suspicion of involvement in his murder.
Investigators suspected the incident was part of a long-running dispute within the Abu Siam clan. However as the investigation unfolded new information surfaced, leading investigators straight to the two teens.
During their interrogation the two admitted to the accusations and reenacted the murder at the scene of the crime. Their relatives said the two have never been previously arrested and that they are emotionally unwell at the moment: "They haven't digested what happened yet."
The suspects' families fleed Rahat fearing a vendetta against them, and their parents weren't present at their remand hearing at the Beersheba Magistrate's Court on Saturday.
'They were very good friends'
A relative of one of the suspects said: "This is a tragic case. We're all sorry for it. These two acted on their own. We offer our condolences to the family. We condemn violence. We're one big family."
He added that everyone in Rahat was shocked by the two's arrest. "I don't know whether they were quarrelling or fighting. We have no way of knowing exactly what happened at that moment but from what I know they were very good friends," he said.
A young girl who went to school with the boys told her father she has not stopped crying since she heard about Qais's gruesome murder.
"She hasn't stopped crying. These are kids you would have never believed were capable of hurting someone, let alone a classmate. My daughter told me that Qais and the two suspects were close friends, always hanging out together. Why would they do such a thing is beyond me. Maybe they envied his success," he added.
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