Photo: Yaron ringauz
Photo: Yaron Gringauz
Court extends arrest of Netanya terror accomplice
Man who dropped off a terrorist who stabbed 2 in Netanya and then deleted messages proving they had arranged the ride to remain in custody for 5 additional days; Suspect's family; 'He didn't know.'
The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended the arrest of a man who is suspected of providing assistance to a terrorist who stabbed a 40-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman in Netanya by
five days on Thursday.
Mohammad Kabaha (30) from Jaffa stands accused of, amongst other things; destroying evidence, the obstruction of justicem and transporting an illegal alien in his car from Qalandiya to Netanya. Members of his family who were present at the legal procession claimed that he was unaware that he was driving a person who intended to carry out an attack.
Kabaha, who was arrested on Thursday night in his home in Jaffa after security cameras recorded the terrorist exiting his vehicle, has been arrested in the past for transporting illegals into Israel.
As he made his way home and heard that an attack was taking place, Kabaha immediately realized that it was being carried out by the terrorist he had transported to Netanya. In an effort to cover up any evidence that had any part in the attack, he immediately erased messages from his cell phone showing that the two had coordinated with one another and that he would provide a lift from Qalandiya to the Netanya market.
Photo: Yaron Gringauz
As the legal authorities deliberated over his case, police requested that he remain in custody for seven days. Kabaha’s defense attorney claimed that the case merely concerns the transportation of illegal aliens. The fact that it ended in an attack, he argued, should not be grounds for extending his detention.
Nevertheless, Police Sergeant Major Moshe Foistro begged to differ: “The danger that the suspect poses cannot be overstated,” he said.
“He knew that they were illegals who were convicted of similar crimes in the past but he continued to do what he did. After he realized that the person carrying out the attack was the man he had given a lift to, he immediately erased all the messages,” he continued. “If there is a person who wants to carry out an attack, and need a ride in order to do so, and he suspect shows contempt for the law and continues to give these same illegals rides, he needs to think about the consequences of his actions.”
The judge ruled that the Kabaha would remain under arrest until next Tuesday: “We are talking about someone who assisted an illegal alien in committing a stabbing attack in the Netanya market. In these circumstances, in light of the suspicion that he sought to obstruct the investigation, and given the previous convictions for similar offences, his arrest cannot, at this stage, be lifted. With that in mind, it is necessary to remand him for a specific amount of time so that the courts can supervise the conduct of the investigation.”
