Rahat murder and kidnapping case leads to indictment after key witness testimony

Southern District prosecutors have filed a severe indictment against Brazi Al-Obra, a 28-year-old Rahat resident, over the killing of a young man, the kidnapping of his brother, and the burning of an escape car. According to the indictment, Al-Obra acted with five other attackers in the nighttime assault in Rahat, after which the victim died and the brother was left wounded.

The injured brother was taken to Soroka Medical Center for treatment, and while a separate team went to check on his brother, medics attempted resuscitation but were forced to declare the young man dead. Police were notified of the two brothers' situation, and investigators immediately came to Soroka to interview the surviving brother. He described the attack and identified the suspects, saying about six men arrived in several vehicles, opened fire on their car, and hit his brother.

He said he tried to return fire with a weapon he had, but it did not help. After the shooting, the attackers pulled him from the car, beat him, put him in the trunk of one of the vehicles, then later threw him out and left him bleeding on the road. The surviving brother's account was later backed by CCTV footage from near the scene.

Al-Obra was arrested about two and a half weeks after the attack, and his remand was extended several times. Investigators also obtained testimony from the father of the two brothers, who said Al-Obra had threatened them two days before the murder because he suspected the slain young man had stolen a weapon from him. Forensic DNA from Al-Obra matched material found in the vehicle he used and in the brothers' car, where traces from the struggle were recovered. Police also found a phone-call log showing he was on a conference call with two people at the time of the attack, near the crime scene; although he denied the phone was his, his wife later confirmed it. Investigators said the attackers also set one of the vehicles on fire to hinder the probe, and forensic experts confirmed it was one of the cars used in the assault.