4 Palestinians suspected of killing man in his home
Police arrest four Palestinians for suspicion of involvement in 2012 death of Itzik Algabi
Cleared for publication: Four Palestinians were arrested in the beginning of July for involvement in the October 2012 murder of Itzik Algabi, 61, from moshav Avihail in central Israel.
According to police, Algabi was most likely murdered when he caught the four as they were trying to break into his daughter's house.
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Over the past month, the four's remand was extended several times. According to police, investigators have evidence linking the four to the murder and soon an indictment will be filed against them.
A suspect in court (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Victim, Itzik Algabi (Reproduction: Ido Erez)
According to Limor Halevy, who represents one of the suspects, her client denies the allegations, claiming he was not present at the scene of the murder and was not an accomplice. "When an indictment is files, we will review the evidence and respond accordingly."
On the night of the murder, Algabi was at home with his grandchildren. At some point, he walked over to his daughter's housing unit in his backyard, and upon entering his daughter's residence, saw the burglars. One of the burglars stabbed Algabi in the chest using a sharp object.
Algabi collapsed as a result of the stabbing and his death was pronounced shortly after.
The murder investigation found that the four suspects run a crime ring that specializes in car thefts and transferring stolen cars to the Palestinian Authority. The investigation further revealed that at the night of the murder, the four attempted to break into several other houses before arriving at Algabi's property.
Algabi's daughter Liran, who found her father bleeding on her doorstep recounted that at that night of the murder her parents were watching her children, and when she came home from work, her mother told her that her father had gone to her house to bring bread for dinner.
"My mother told me that my father left about fifteen minutes earlier and hasn’t come back. I was sure that dad, who was always trying to help, must have stayed to take my laundry off the clothes line. I went into my driveway and then I saw him in front of me in the hall, injured and unconscious."
'Country should take responsibility'
Algabi's daughters, Liran Mizrahi and Meirav Giller, expressed Wednesday their helplessness and fear in considering their father's murderers won't stand full trial.
"The country should take responsibility for the security of its citizens," said Meirav. "They're constantly warning us about the Iranian threat, about the Palestinian threat, but the problem is our own domestic security."
Liran and Meirav said they appreciated the police's conduct in keeping them up to date on the investigation's details and in detaining the suspects, but admitted they were concerned of how the court case would play out. "We're hoping that the charge will be murder and that the prosecution won't settle or order a reduced sentence. It's clear that a man was murdered in his house in the middle of dinner. It's inconceivable, that a man was murdered so brutally in his own home, where he is supposed to be safe."
"There are mixed feelings," Algabi's daughters said, "On the one hand we're relieved they finally caught the murderers, but on the other hand there is all this pain since dad was killed."
The women said they have lost sense of safety in their homes: "I had the house geared with security systems 2,000 dollars worth," said Liran. "We put ourselves into a prison so that we feel safe and protected. People need to understand that thieves nowadays are murderers too."
"Dad was a prominent person in our lives," the daughters added, "He meant the world to us – he meant the world to a lot of people. He was a warm father who was always looking out for everyone, family members or not. There's a huge hole in our lives now that we cannot mend. The grandkids keep asking where their grandfather is."
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