Israeli security forces recently arrested a suspect in the killing of a special forces soldier near Ramallah last month, the Shin Bet security agency revealed Wednesday. The case has been placed under a gag order.
According to available details, Islam Yusuf Abu Hamid, 32, from the al-Amari refugee camp, is believed to have dropped a marble slab on IDF troops in search of terror suspects in the camp, killing 20-year-old Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, a soldier with the elite Duvdevan counterterrorism unit.
An extensive manhunt involving military troops and Shin Bet agents had been underway across Judea and Samaria since the May 24 incident.
Abu Hamid's brothers are known Hamas operatives, the Shin Bet said.
Two other suspects were arrested as well, but the security agency did not say whether they were related to Abu Hamid.
"Israel's security forces will continue to spare no effort to thwart terrorist attacks," the statement said.
"No terrorist is immune and no terrorist can evade the long reach of the Israeli defense establishment," Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday.
"We will prosecute this terrorist to the full extent of the law. If you harm our soldiers, you will not see the light of day," he said.
A statement by the Lubarsky family said, "We knew this day would come and we always had faith in the IDF and the Shin Bet. We feel a sense of relief and we hope justice will be done and this murderer will get what he deserves. We also hope he doesn't get released in a future prisoner exchange deal."
