Shin Bet Reveals Plot to Kidnap Soldier to Force Release of Terrorists

New information on the murder of a soldier in Arad last month was cleared for publication Friday by the Shin Bet.

On November 30, Ron Yitzchak Kukia, Hy”d, was stabbed to death by terrorists while standing at a bus stop in Arad. A gag order was immediately placed on the case and the identity of the terrorists was unknown.

The State Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment last week against the terrorists responsible for the stabbing attack. Two suspects were arrested the day after the murder, Khaled and Zuhay Abu Jouda. The Shin Bet revealed that the two suspects, Israeli Arabs, had no previous criminal record.

In an interrogation after his arrest, Khaled Abu Jouda said his motive for the murder was revenge for IDF activity in Yehudah, Shomron and the Gaza Strip.

During the interrogation, one of the suspects linked himself to the murder and even led the Shin Bet interrogators to the place where the soldier’s weapon was hidden.

Khaled revealed that they decided to kill an IDF soldier and to steal his weapon out of a desire to “do something for the Palestinians.”

At first, Khaled had planned to abduct a soldier to promote the release of terrorists held in Israeli prisons. To carry out the abduction, Khaled planned to use anesthetic drugs, which he had access to by virtue of his work at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.

Later, Khaled changed the plan to the murder of a soldier and the theft of the soldier’s weapon, in order to carry out future attacks. He purchased a vehicle for the getaway and hid money so that he could go into hiding to evade the authorities.

The terrorists carried out surveillance of Arad during the months prior to carrying out the attack.

The Southern District Prosecutor’s Office is expected to charge the two with murder on Sunday.