Barkan terrorist still at large as IDF sweeps Samaria

The Barkan terrorist remains at large as Israel Defense Forces arrested suspects and seized cash destined for terror activities early Tuesday.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

Israel Defense Forces detained seven additional Palestinians early Tuesday in the wake of the terrorist shooting at the Barkan Industrial Park Sunday, bringing the total number arrested to 19. The terrorist remains at large.

Ashraf Naalowa, 23, from the village of Shweika near the city of Tulkarem, killed Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 28, and Ziv Hajbi, 35, on Sunday. He also wounded Sara Vaturi, 54, shooting her in the stomach. Vaturi credits another Palestinian, a stoc kworker, for keeping her alive until medics arrived.

Security footage shows Naalowa fleeing the scene following his attack. Despite a massive manhunt, he continues to elude Israeli authorities. In addition to the new arrests, the IDF  entered the village of Beit Sira near Ramallah early Tuesday and seized thousands of shekels the army claims was slated for terrorist activities.

On Monday, Israel’s security services detained Naalowa’s brother and sister for questioning. The sister was subsequently released and the brother is still being held. The mother was also detained but denied any knowledge of her son’s intention to carry out an attack. The terrorist’s family made a public appeal to the killer on Israel radio Monday night to turn himself in.

Security officials expressed concern the terrorist killer might strike again using the same Carlo-style submachine gun he used in the attack. They also discovered a suicide note he had left before the attack, leading them to believe he may be intending to die in a firefight with IDF soldiers.

Thousands participated in the funeral of Levengrond Sunday evening. “I will never forget you,” her husband Gai said. “I will raise Kai [their one-and-a-half-year old baby] to be the king that you wanted. You will always be my best friend.”

At the funeral of Hajbi on Monday, the victim’s mother said, “I want this person to die,” referring to the terrorist. “Why do I need to bury my son at age 35?”

The military is investigating how the terrorist succeeded in smuggling a gun into the Barkan Industrial Park, which had been known as a site of co-existence between Arabs and Israelis as thousands from both sides work at the site. Questions have been raised however about the effectiveness of security at the park following the attack.