Israel’s Attorney General’s Office has ruled that the murder of Israel Prison Service dog handler Yochai Avni last month was an act of terrorism.
Hamas member Ibrahim Mansur, who broke into Avni’s Givon Hahadasha home northwest of Jerusalem, stabbed him 66 times and set the scene on fire, will be accused of murder with a nationalist motive.
“The accused did all this due to the fact that the deceased was Jewish, with the intention of causing his death and fleeing the scene,” the A.G.’s office stated in additions to the indictment filed on Tuesday morning at the Ofer Military Court.
Avni’s sister Nitzan said at the beginning of the hearing that, “We were informed that the killer stabbed the suspect 66 times in all parts of his body,” according to Channel 12. “Meaning he not only murdered him but also abused him. He then burned everything. We are just before an indictment and we are sure that justice is with us, it is a struggle not only for us but for the entire people of Israel,” she added.
The military court judge said at the opening of the hearing that, “The indictment charges the defendant with the crime of causing death intentionally … The accused decided to enter Givon Hahadasha knowing that it was a settlement where only Jews live. He then stabbed the deceased no fewer than 66 times. The military prosecution granted the request for detention until the end of the legal proceedings.”
Mansur—a resident of Biddu, located just southwest of Givon Hahadasha in the Binyamin region of Samaria—was arrested two days after the July 8 murder.
Avni, 40, was found dead in his burned home. Police initially issued a statement emphasizing that “all directions are being investigated,” and a gag order was placed on the investigation and the identity of possible suspects.
Avni “preserved his innocence, even though he was in the most harsh place, saw terrorists and worked with a difficult population,” Nitzan told Ynet of his employment at the high-security Ofer Prison.
She insisted the day after the murder that her brother “didn’t have a single enemy,” adding, “We believe it was a terrorist attack.”
His family was surprised when the initial indictment filed around two weeks ago did not include a nationalist motive.
Mansour smiled in court when the prosecutor’s statement was submitted, blowing kisses in the air and flashing a “V” sign to symbolize victory.
The judge granted a request by the Avni family and the media to allow pictures to be taken of the suspect.
“Now things are clear to the prosecutor’s office as well: This is a security incident with a criminal nationalist motive, as reflected in the indictment submitted this morning,” said Ran Cohen Rockberger, an attorney representing the family.
Ofer Prison is located between Ramallah and Givat Ze’ev in Samaria. It is one of the Jewish state’s three high-security facilities, along with Megiddo Prison in the north and Ktzi’ot Prison in the Negev.
