A shack belonging to the family of one of the suspects in last week's murder of 16-year-old Rahat resident Qais Abu Siam was set on fire in the Bedouin town overnight Friday. There were no reports of injury.
The families of the suspects, both of whom are teenagers who were Abu Siam's classmates at the Rahat school for the gifted, left Rahat immediately after their arrest for fear of a vendetta against them.
Abu Siam's burnt body was discovered last weekend in a wadi outside Rahat. Initially, police arrested a distant female relative of the murdered teen on suspicion of involvement in his murder, but later arrested his classmates, aged 16 and 17.
The suspects admitted that they led the victim to a grove, brutally beat and stabbed him and later burned his body. The teens said they decided to hurt Qais because he used to "nag them."
Abu Siam's relatives said that before their arrest the two suspects had the audacity to show up at the family home and offer their condolences.