Israel Defense Forces troops overnight Tuesday demolished the Duma home of Ahmed Duabsha, who in April murdered 14-year-old Jewish shepherd Binyamin Achimeir in Samaria.
Duabsha was arrested on April 22, 10 days after he killed Jerusalemite Achimeir, who went missing while herding sheep at Gal Farm, located 17 miles northeast of Ramallah.
In late June, a redacted indictment said Duabsha and his friends became interested in jihad and Islamic State approximately a year before the terror attack.
“The suspect decided that he would go on a killing spree the next morning at first light,” read the indictment, filed at Ofer Military Court. “He took a knife of around 20 centimeters [8 inches] long, picked out clothes and laid down in his room. The next day, he put on his clothes, prayed, took the knife in his sheath and put a black scarf on his head.”
Local media reported in April that there was a long struggle between Achimeir and Duabsha, and that some of the teenager’s clothing items were found scattered near his body.
“Duabsha brandished the knife, shouted at the deceased, ‘I will kill you,’ and started to chase him. While trying to escape, the deceased fell to the ground and the terrorist caught up. Achimeir stood up and tried to defend himself against the accused,” the indictment states.
Following the murder, Duabsha looked for additional victims in the area, including at Gal Farm, but got frightened by a dog in the area and returned home as “got tired,” the indictment continues.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned “the heinous murder” of the young shepherd.
“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. “I send my heartfelt condolences to his family,” added the statement.
According to data collected by Israeli authorities, Arab aggression and terror against Jewish shepherds has 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,” an official responsible for documenting illegal Arab activities told JNS last year.
