Security forces have arrested a five-member Hamas cell from the Shechem area for the cold-blooded drive-by murders of Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin last Thursday night in front of their four children.
The cell confessed to the terrorist attacks and told investigators that they also were behind two other recent shooting attacks, which miraculously failed to wound anyone but struck one vehicle.
Police and the IDF arrested other suspected terrorists who were involved in the attack. A gag order was lifted Monday by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), which along with the IDF and police arrested the cell Friday night.
The terrorists were identified as:
Ahmed Aliwi, 37, the ringleader and who recruited the terrorists for the cell and provided them with weapons;
Yahya Mohammed Hamad, 24, who shot and killed the Henkins;
Samir Ibrahim Kusa, 33, who was the driver in all three attacks;
Karam Fathi Razek, 23, who also fired at the Henkins; and
Ziad Ziad Jamil Amer, 31, who helped carry out the well-coordinated attack, with two terrorists in the attack vehicle and another member of cell driving a second vehicle to make sure the IDF was not patrolling at the time.
After the killers stopped the Henkins’ car with gunfire, they left their vehicle and fired at the Henkin family at almost point-black range. The young children, the youngest a baby,were sitting in the back seat and were not wounded while watching their parents shot to death.
A mishap in the terrorist operation may have helped the Shin Bet to trace the gang. Razak was accidentally shot by one of the members of his cell and dropped his pistol, which was found by security forces.