Olga and Ruslan Frihudko Murder: Suspect Asked for Vehicle to Be Removed, Two Others Helped With the Weapon

The Rishon LeZion Magistrate’s Court today, Wednesday, extended by six days the detention of three Palestinians from Judea and Samaria, suspected of after-the-fact assistance to a 17-year-old minor who confessed to and reenacted the murder of Olga and Ruslan Frihudko. Judge Guy Maimon said in his ruling that “there is reasonable suspicion that the suspects committed the offenses attributed to them.”

The suspects, Sliman Qaabna, 21, Salem Huamda, 28, and Zain al-Din Abdallah, 20, were arrested about two weeks ago at their homes by YAMAM fighters. The teenage murder suspect was arrested by the Shin Bet and Central District Police investigators, יחד with his father and three brothers. At the start of the investigation, suspicion of a nationalist motive was examined, but after about a week of questioning that line was ruled out, and the investigation is continuing on suspicion of murder on a criminal basis.

According to findings gathered by investigators, the minor knew the couple through a shared hobby of searching for ancient coins in the area of an archaeological mound. Police investigators believe that an argument that developed between him and Ruslan Frihudko led him to bring a pistol that he said he had bought for about 30,000 shekels with money he had saved. According to his account, the weapon was hidden in an area where his family keeps a flock of sheep. During questioning, the teenager admitted that he shot Ruslan Frihudko near Kiryat Yossef about three weeks ago. He had difficulty explaining to investigators why he also killed Olga Frihudko. According to investigators’ assessment, the couple were murdered about three to four hours before their bodies were found in the car.

At today’s hearing before Judge Guy Maimon, it emerged that after the murder the minor made a phone call to suspect Zain al-Din Abdallah, whom he knew previously. According to suspicion, the minor asked him to obtain a truck or tow truck to remove the car containing the bodies to the areas of Judea and Samaria and conceal it. Abdallah’s attorney, Adv. Yaron Forer, argued at the hearing that “there was indeed such a conversation, but my client, who has no criminal record, did not take any active steps to assist the minor, he ignored a call that seemed strange to him. In practice, the police found the car with the bodies in the same place where the murder was carried out.”

As for suspects Qaabna and Huamda, police are attributing to them weapons offenses and illegal presence in Israel. During the hearing, a police representative said, in response to a question from their attorney, Adv. Shafiq Darbashi: “They admitted to the weapons offenses. Salem admitted that he fired the weapon on two occasions, and the other admitted that he was present at the scene and also hid it for the third suspect.” The police representative also noted that, according to suspicion, this was the weapon used to carry out the murder. However, police clarified that the two are not suspected of direct involvement in the murder itself, but of offenses related to the use of the weapon and its concealment afterward.

The attorney for the two argued in response: “The two suspects told me that they did not know about the murder before or after, and did not assist in any way the suspect in the murder or in concealing the act.” After reviewing the confidential investigation materials, Judge Maimon accepted the police request and extended the detention of the three suspects until next Monday. In his ruling, he wrote: “The suspects were arrested on May 29 on suspicion of the offenses of after-the-fact assistance to a crime, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit a felony, illegal presence, purchase, possession or transport of a weapon.”

Referring to suspect Abdallah, the judge determined that the investigation materials are inconsistent with his claim that he did not take any active action. According to him, there are indications of an attempt to conceal the car and the bodies, an attempt that did not succeed. Adv. Yaron Forer said, “It is not impossible that had this suspect succeeded in concealing the car containing the bodies and transferring it to the territories, it would have had a critical impact on the investigating unit’s ability to crack the murder case, which it succeeded in doing,” the judge wrote.

Regarding Qaabna and Huamda, the judge noted that “the offenses attributed to them are weapons offenses. It emerges from the investigation file that after the murder there was contact between them and the suspect in the murder case, and it cannot be ruled out that through their actions the investigation was obstructed, or at least an attempt was made to obstruct it.”