Questions linger after manhunt for terrorist ends
How did a terrorist who murdered three people leave Tel Aviv and reach northern Israel? Who helped him survive? Investigators seek answers as 5 suspects are arrested on suspicion of aiding the terrorist.
Two days after terrorist Nashat Melhem was captured and killed in a firefight, police and the Shin Bet have a number of unanswered questions. One is how Nashat Melhem managed to get in Amin Shaaban's taxi. Melhem murdered Shaaban but did not keep using the vehicle.
The Shin Bet has also been trying to understand what Melhem's route was and why he murdered Shaaban, but have yet to find answers.
Another big mystery is how Melhem successfully fled Tel Aviv after shooting three people dead. As of Sunday, his last known location on the day of the shooting was on Namir Road, where he abandoned the taxi a few minutes after the murder. Investigators want to know how Melhem made his way to northern Israel. Was he picked up? Did he hitchhike?
Investigators have also been looking into how Melhem got into Arara, his hometown, without being discovered. They knew from the start that he would try to reach the area where he lived, which he succeeded in doing – and it has become clear that Melhem was hiding in a structure adjacent to his home for at least the final 24 hours of his hiding.
Yet another lingering question is how Melhem managed to survive in hiding. Evidence found after his death suggested that he had a large supply of food, implying that someone supplied him with food and knew he would be in hiding for a long time.
It has emerged that the substantial breakthrough in the investigation, which led police chief Roni Alsheikh to reassure Tel Aviv area residents, occurred on Tuesday, when Shin Bet investigators reached a location in Wadi Ara and found a cigarette butt.
DNA analysis of the butt revealed that Melhem had smoked it, indicating his presence. Roadblocks were immediately set up in the area and large numbers of security forces were deployed to ensure that the terrorist could not escape – with a particular concern being that he would escape to the Palestinian territories.
Relatives released
The Haifa Magistrates Court on Sunday released from police custody Mohammed Melhem, Nashat's brother, and one of Nashat's brother. The pair is to be under house arrest for ten days.
The decision followed an agreement between the family's lawyers and investigators. The father and son were arrested last week on suspicion of abetting a terrorist, causing death, and conspiracy to commit a crime. The demand of another relative was extended by a week.
"The Shin Bet's officers did their jobs," said Mohammed Melhem. "I am a law-abiding man and did not cooperate with my son. My place should not have been in jail. Every second I was in there was unfortunate. I have a family I need to be with."
The family now waits for Nashat's body and is expected to hold a small funeral.
"They shouldn't have made all the arrests," said a relative. "The father and entire family suffered from what the son did and they are having a hard time digesting everything that happened. The father did not know where his son was hiding and was not involved in the suspicions that the police and court had."
The Melhem family switched lawyers on Sunday morning. It was represented by Attorney Nahmi Feinblatt during the search for Nashat Melhem. Feinblatt announced that his role had ended because the family members had been released. They are now represented by Attorney Ali Saadi.
Suspected accessories' arrests extended
Relatives of the five people suspected of aiding Melhem are denying the allegations against them. "The police has started accusing people over nothing," they claimed Saturday.
The Haifa Magistrates' Court extended the five suspects' arrests on Saturday. They are suspected of aiding a terrorist, unpermitted congregation, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Melhem was killed in a shootout with police anti-terrorist and Shin Bet forces on Friday. He saw them closing in on his hiding spot and came out firing his submachine gun at them (the same weapon he used in the Tel Aviv pub attack a week earlier). The forces returned fire and killed Melhem. No members of the raiding force were hurt. Residents of Arara who congregated near the spot were heard yelling "We will sacrifice our lives for the martyr."
One of the arrested suspects is the person who helped the police reach Melhem after he was seen walking around the area. At first Melhem wasn't recognized, but after a short while they managed to identify him. Before notifying police, the suspect consulted with locals, who supported him contacting authorities.
"I don't know why they arrest suspects for no reason," one of the suspects' relatives said, "It's still unclear why he was arrested. There's no basis for the allegations against him. The police need to stop with these weird arrests. They just want to abuse the residents of Arara because Melhem hid here."
He added that "this is an opportunity to send a message to all the citizens of Israel: We were victims of a terrorist. Don't treat us all as terrorists. We all live in coexistence and support peace. Unfortunately, there are bodies whose main activity is inciting people against Arab society.”
Another suspect's relative also had a hard time accepting the arrest. "He had no part in any of this," he said, "We didn’t even know that the terrorist was in the neighborhood. I feel like the government intends on ruining the good image of the village, but it won't succeed."
People in the neighborhood claimed that the exact information about Melhem's hiding spot was given to the police on Thursday, and that searches of the Aldharat neighborhood started the next day. "We heard many people say that they saw Melhem walking in the neighborhood and didn't feel like he was afraid. Everyone knew he was armed and were scared to inform the Police because they worried he would hurt them. Others preferred not to "tell" on him," people in the neighborhood said.
