A man suspected of raping a woman while armed with a gun and then shooting a dog was investigated and is in custody, the Israel Police Spokesperson of the Negev region said on Friday.
On September 2 the police received a call from a soldier who happened to be in Soroka-University Medical Center, Beersheba, who said that a young woman had turned to him, said that she had been raped, and asked for his help.
Police came to the hospital to meet the woman and opened an investigation, which revealed that a cousin of the woman's friend had been asked to drive the young woman from Rahat to Beersheba. The man stopped the car in a grove near Segev Shalom and violently raped the woman, causing physical injuries. In the midst of the crime, the man shot a dog that had appeared at the scene.
The suspected rapist was arrested on September 7. The Attorney General's Office said that it is preparing an indictment and the man's custody was extended to January 23.
"This is a grave incident and involves an unusually high level of violence," the head of Rahat station's police investigative team, St.-Sgt.-Maj. Zina Haritonov remarked.