Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian suspect in the April 12 terrorist murder of 14-year-old shepherd Binyamin Achimeir following an overnight raid in the Binyamin region of Samaria.
“Overnight, in a joint operation of the Shin Bet, the Israel Police and the IDF, Ahmed Duabsha, 21 years old, a resident of the village of Duma in the Binyamin Brigade [area of deployment], was arrested by the soldiers of the Yamam [Border Police National Counter-Terrorism Unit] and the Shin Bet,” said the statement.
Achimeir’s body was found by a drone on April 13 following a 24-hour-long search, after he went missing while working as a shepherd based in Gal Farm, located just under two miles south of Duma.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned “the heinous murder” of Achimeir, according to a rare statement released by his office on the Jewish day of rest.
“We will get the murderers and those who helped them, as we do to all who harm the citizens of the State of Israel,” the prime minister said.
The security services said on Monday that “during the past day, there was a significant development in the investigation, and during the night, the forces raided the village of Duma and arrested the suspect.”
The statement noted that Duabsha tied himself to the attack during initial questioning. He was taken into Shin Bet custody for further investigation.
According to data collected by Israeli authorities, Arab aggression and terrorism against Jewish shepherds have been on the rise in recent months.
“Jewish farmers are grazing their sheep in open areas; Arabs don’t like that, even if it happens in Area C [of Judea and Samaria, where Israeli communities are located]. They’re trying to stop them by using violence,” a Judea and Samaria local official told JNS last year.
Between Oct. 7 and Jan. 15 alone, Hatzalah Judea and Samaria recorded more than 2,600 terrorist attacks against Israelis in the area, including 760 cases of rock-throwing, 551 fire bombings, 12 attempted or successful stabbings and nine vehicular assaults.