IDF Arrests Barkan Killer’s Relatives, as Manhunt Continues

Having identified the perpetrator of the brutal multiple murder in the Shomron earlier Sunday, the IDF arrested members of Ashraf Walid Suleiman Na’alowa’s family and marked his home for demolition, according to media reports.

On Sunday morning, Na’alowa shot and killed Kim Levengrond Yehezkel Hy”d, 28, and Ziv Hajbi Hy”d, 35, in the offices of the Alon Group in the Barkan Industrial Park, near the city of Ariel.

The hunt for the terrorist continued into the night, as the IDF released a statement:

“At this time, IDF and ISA (Israel Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet) forces continue to pursue the assailant.”

“IDF troops arrived at the house of the assailant, located in the village of Shuweika, north of Tulkarm, and surveyed the residence. In addition, the troops apprehended and questioned Palestinians suspected of assisting the terrorist. Simultaneously, security forces are searching the area.

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot visited the scene of the terror attack earlier in the day, where he held a security assessment “in which he ordered a reinforcement of troops and various defense efforts,” the IDF said.

Meanwhile, Israeli leaders continued to comment angrily on the murders.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett noted that “in the face of this terrible tragedy, Hamas is handing out candies and Mahmoud Abbas is taking care of payments (to the terrorist family); we must stop this celebration. The State of Israel is committed to its citizens’ security,” he declared.

Bennett added that “the entire nation of Israel sends its condolences to the families.”

Yossi Dagan, Chairman of the Shomron Regional Council called for a more comprehensive response: “One must respond to such a serious terrorist incident with unprecedented military action against the terror cells in Yehudah and Shomron.”

“Behind this terror incident is the spirit of the Palestinian Authority, whose operatives have already carried out a number of terrorist acts in the region. They must be beaten with all their might. We demand the death penalty for the criminal terrorist and the expulsion of his family from Israel, “Dagan added.