A minor arrested three weeks ago in the case of the death of Aisha al-Rawbi in a rock-throwing attack last October was indicted Thursday morning on charges of causing death during the commission of a terrorist act.
The suspect is one of five minors arrested in early January at a yeshiva in the settlement of Rechelim in Samaria, close to where the attack took place.
The attack, investigators say, targeted a Palestinian car, causing it to veer off the road and crash. Al-Rawbi, from the Arab village of Badi and a mother of eight, suffered a fatal head injury. Her husband, Aykube, survived.
After approximately a week in custody, four of the minors were released to house arrest. The fifth remained in detention and for most of the investigation, police say, maintained his right to silence. Earlier this week, detectives announced that he had taken his defense attorney's advice and answered investigators' questions.
On Wednesday, investigators presented the evidence in the case to the Rishon Lezion Magistrates' Court. The main piece of evidence is a rock found at the scene of the attack that bore traces of the suspect's DNA. The State Attorney's Office asked that the court extend the suspect's remand until the end of legal proceedings.
Presiding Judge Guy Avnon wrote in his decision that "The minor has given a version [of events] that supposedly provides a certain explanation for the main evidence collected in the case."
Avnon said police had acted fairly, and despite the fact that the teen had originally refused to cooperate, they had given him an additional chance to be questioned and speak on his own behalf. Although the judge took the minor's change of heart into account, he refused to release him on recognizance.
The suspect's attorney, Adi Keidar, said in response: "I think the court ruling indicates that the court, too, is wavering, and this is a heavy hint to the prosecution that still has a chance to reconsider. Although [the prosecution] has presented a base of evidence that would allow for an indictment, I see it as a technical decision.
"I think that [if] this case focuses on the minor, a situation will be created where the case won't be solved and will drag on for years, and everyone involved will have doubt about whether the minor is guilty or not, and he [the minor] is the one who will suffer," Keidar said.
