Jerusalem Man Charged with Murdering Woman, Hiding Body in Barrel

A 48-year-old resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur, Salah Othman, has been indicted for the aggravated murder of Fatima Rajabi, who was killed approximately three weeks ago. The murder was allegedly planned due to a financial debt Othman owed to Rajabi.

According to the indictment filed by the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office, Othman premeditated the killing and purchased a barrel in advance to conceal the victim's body. The two met, and Othman struck Rajabi on the head with a hammer multiple times. When he noticed she was still moving, he hit her again.

In the hours following the murder, Othman drove around Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with Rajabi's body in his car, later discarding her belongings. He also stole her credit card and subsequently withdrew NIS 15,000 from her bank account.

Othman later took the body home, forced it into the barrel, and sealed it with white sealant to prevent odors. He remained in hiding for several days until he met with a relative who turned him in to the police. The investigation was led by the Jerusalem Police's Shalem station. Othman faces charges including aggravated murder, evidence destruction, credit card theft, aggravated credit card fraud, and theft.