Barkan victims relatives plead: Don't release terrorist's family
According to the IDF prosecutor, Na'alwa had informed his mother that he was planning on committing a terror attack.
By ILANIT CHERNICKUpdated: FEBRUARY 3, 2019 13:42IDF forces searching for the Barkan terrorist (photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
The families of the Barkan terrorist victims have pleaded with the IDF's military court in Ofer Prison not to release the family of Ashraf Na'alwa.Na'alwa murdered Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, Ziv Hagbi in a shooting attack in October last year at the Barkan Industrial Park. A third Israeli was moderately wounded.On Thursday, a hearing was held at the military court decide about the ongoing detention of Na'alwa's family who have been in custody since the attack due to suspicions that they knew about the shooting and failed to stop it. His mother, father and brother are still in custody.During the hearing on Thursday, the IDF told the judge that the ongoing detention is necessary because they are concerned Na'alwa's family will escape justice if released on bail.According to the IDF prosecutor, Na'alwa had informed his mother that he was planning on committing a terror attack. However, instead of informing the Palestinian Authority, she advised her son to prepare for IDF searches of their home.The prosecution also accused Na'alwa's father of deleting closed-circuit video footage to delay stop the IDF from finding his son.Na'alwa was on the run for months before being caught and killed in an IDF operation in December near in Nablus.Rafi Levengrond, Kim's father, pleaded with the judge not to release Na'alwa's family adding that it would "allow them to flee and not face justice for their actions.""I am here in this military court - this is the mother and brother of the terrorist who murdered my daughter Kim," he said. "From what I have been told, these are two people who are not fit for freedom, and certainly should not be released until before the trial."
