Israeli police arrested a Arav terrorist suspected of killing IDF soldier Netanel Ayala Z”L in a hit-and-run crash in early May, following a days-long manhunt.
The suspect, a resident of Luban a-Sharqiya in his 30s, was captured Friday in a joint operation by the Judea and Samaria District police, the Duvdevan special forces unit, and police forces. He is being interrogated at the Binyamin police station.
Judea and Samaria District Commander Chief Superintendent Moshe Pinchi called Ayala’s family to inform them of the arrest. “This is a tragic and difficult incident in which the life of a young man at the beginning of his journey was cut short,” Pinchi said. “From the moment we received the report, Judea and Samaria District officers worked together with security forces with determination and all available tools until the suspect who fled the accident scene was located and arrested. The Israel Police will continue to investigate the truth and pursue full prosecution of anyone involved in such incidents.”
Netanel (Nati) Ayala Z”L, 20, from Ofra, was killed in the crash on Route 60 in Samaria, near the village of Luban a-Sharqiya. Ayala’s motorcycle collided with a vehicle driven by the terrorist, who then fled the scene on foot. Moshe Pinchi immediately ordered all intelligence resources devoted to finding the suspect.
Police, Border Police, and IDF forces responding to the scene discovered the vehicle had been stolen several days earlier from the Tel Aviv area. Initial findings by traffic accident investigators indicated the crash likely occurred after the motorcyclist veered from his lane into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with the car.