Indictments filed against Barkan attackers' mother, brother

Ashraf Walid Suleiman Na’alwa,23, is still on the run.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
Updated: NOVEMBER 16, 2018 10:15
IDF forces searching for the Barkan terrorist (photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF forces searching for the Barkan terrorist
(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
The mother and brother of the the Barkan terrorist were indicted by a West Bank military court on Thursday on charges that they knew of the plan and did not try to prevent the attack, the military said in a statement.
“Two weeks before the attack, the terrorist indicated that he intended to carry out an attack and die as a martyr,” read the statement released by the IDF’s Spokesperson’s Unit.
According to the indictment, Ashraf Waleed Suliman Na’alwa’s mother knew that he had weapons and was training to use them. Two weeks before the attack she is said to have informed the defendant's brother of his intentions to carry out the attack and die as a martyr.
The military statement says that neither of them attempted to contact authorities to prevent the attack.
Na’alwa’s brother is also being charged with obstruction of justice after attempting to hide footage from the family home’s security cameras.
“These indictments join other indictments against other suspects who did not prevent the attack,” the statement read.
In early October 23 year-old Ashraf Walid Suleiman Na’alwa from West Bank village of Shweika near Tulkarem, shot dead Kim Levengrond-Yehezkel, 29, of Rosh Ha’ayin, and Ziv Hagbi, 35, from Rishon Lezion. He also is suspected of shooting a third woman, seriously injuring her.
Na’alwa, who had a permit to work at the Barkan park where he had been employed as an electrician for the past seven months at a factory run by the Alon Group,  is said to have forced an Arab employee to tie up Levengrond-Yehezkel and Hajbi before he shot them and fled the scene with the Carl-Gustav weapon he used.
He has been on the run from authorities for over month.
The Border Police’s counter-terrorism Yamam unit; troops from the IDF’s elite Duvdevan, Lotar and Oketz units; and Shin Bet forces are participating in the manhunt.
The IDF has ordered the partial demolition of the family home after a request was made by the attacker’s family against the demolition order was rejected. The demolition of the home will be limited to basement and ground floor.
The father of one of the victims killed by a Palestinian terrorist last month in the Barkan industrial area called Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman a coward and called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire him after he cancelled a scheduled meeting with the bereaved families.
Following the announcement of the home’s partial demolition, Levengrond-Yehezkel’s father called former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman a coward after he cancelled a scheduled meeting with the bereaved families. According to him, the defense minister didn’t attend the funeral or come to comfort the family during the shiva.
"I do not believe that Lieberman would have wanted to destroy the entire house. He is afraid that the court in The Hague will not allow him to travel around the world," he told Hadashot news.
Levengrond, who could be heard in the leaked called aired by Hadashot admonishing  Lieberman for updating them that the IDF would not be fully demolishing the terrorist’s home, accused Liberman of leaking the recording.
“So, in short, you are doing nothing. Listen, they destroyed my family, why are you taking his into consideration?… As far as I’m concerned, if you’re going to demolish a corner of the house, don’t destroy it at all, leave it standing,” ” he was heard saying.


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