Brother of Palestinian who killed Israeli girlfriend a security prisoner
Despite disputed claims that nationalism played a factor in the murder of Michal Halimi, it has emerged that the brother of Mohammed Harouf is a security prisoner in Israel for attempted bombing.
Abdullah, a resident of Nablus affiliated with Islamic Jihad, was arrested in July 2012 together with members of his terror cell after attempting to place an explosive device near an IDF patrol.
On Sunday, Mohammed Harouf was formally indicted for the murder of Michal Halimi.
However, despite earlier claims that Harouf committed the murder out of nationalistic motivations, the indictment indicated otherwise, making no mention of nationalism as a factor in the murder.
Halimi, who was eight months pregnant at the time of her murder, was found near the city of Holon last week after having been strangled and struck in the head with a rock.
Following an investigation by police, Halimi was discovered to have left her home of her own volition and was apparently staying at the house of the young Palestinian man from Nablus, with who she was in a relationship.
The two had posted pictures on Facebook indicating their intention to become engaged.
Relatives of Halimi claimed that she had been in contact with Harouf for a few weeks after she left, but she expressed a desire to return to her husband, which prompted Harouf to murder her.
After Halimi had been declared missing, police questioned Harouf several times. He became a suspect when inconsistencies in his statements regarding the whereabouts of Halimi began to arise.
Additional suspects detained in connection with the case confirmed to police that the two were involved in a romantic relationship and on the day of her disappearance. The two met in the Holon area where she was probably murdered.
After Halimi's body was discovered and positively identified, Harouf was detained once more by police, where he confessed to the murder and reconstructed the crime.
At an initial court hearing for an extension of his remand, Harouf was asked by reporters why he did it, to which he responded, "I wanted to release prisoners." He later denied that the murder was related to a romantic relationship between the two, and then proceeded to kick guards before being physically removed from the court room while shouting, "I'll kill all the Jews!"
Aharon Halimi, Michal's husband, strongly disagreed with the assessment of police, stating that the crime was most definitely nationalistic in nature and had nothing to do with a romance between the two.
"She was five months pregnant when she disappeared. Our relationship was very good and we were waiting for the child. This is entirely a nationalistic issue and not a romance," he said.
Harouf's lawyer echoed these sentiments, saying, "We will study the indictment and respond accordingly. According the indictment, there is no nationalistic motive. In our first meeting however, he claimed it was nationalistic and he has continued with that narrative. We will examine the matter."
