Escape footage, the knife and the building where evidence was discarded: new details in the murder of Rabbi Yishai Por z"l

As we reported yesterday, police have completed their investigation into the murder of the kollel student Rabbi Yishai Por z"l at the Chazon Ish kollel in Bnei Brak on the eve of Shavuot. Today, Thursday, police are releasing footage of the suspect’s escape immediately after the brutal killing and detailing the course of the investigation. It should be noted that the suspect is apparently mentally ill and is due to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Footage of the suspect’s escape, Photo: Police Spokesperson.

According to the police statement, on 20.5.26, at midday, a report was received at the police hotline about a man who had been stabbed in a yeshiva and kollel compound on HaAr"i Street in Bnei Brak, while the suspect fled the scene. The victim, Rabbi Yishir Por z"l, 52, of Bnei Brak, was evacuated in serious condition for medical treatment, and later pronounced dead at the hospital. As part of the manhunt for the suspect, officers from the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan station, together with officers from the Beit Shemesh station, located the suspect in the city of Beit Shemesh after he fled there. The suspect, 45 and homeless, was arrested for questioning, jailed, and his remand was extended from time to time. The knife, Photo: Police Spokesperson.

The investigation by the Dan District Criminal Investigation Division found that the suspect came to the compound, met the victim and suddenly attacked him without any warning, in front of his 13-year-old son. According to suspicion, he stabbed the victim several times and caused his critical injuries, then fled the scene. The victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The investigation also found that the suspect and the deceased used to pray in the same compound, and that in the past a dispute had arisen between them over an interpretation of religious matters. Testimonies collected showed that the suspect had even threatened the deceased in the past that he would kill him, but no complaints on the matter were received by police. The abandoned building where the items were thrown, Photo: Police Spokesperson.

Police say that through rapid investigative steps and examination of security cameras, investigators were able to track the suspect and his escape route. According to the findings of the investigation, the suspect fled on foot through the streets of Bnei Brak while hiding in his jacket a bloodstained glove and the knife that is suspected of having been used in the act, and later threw them into an abandoned building in Bnei Brak. The abandoned building where the items were thrown, Photo: Police Spokesperson.

At the end of the investigation yesterday, a statement by the prosecutor was filed against the suspect, and his remand was extended by five days, until 14.6.26. The prosecution intends to file an indictment against him. The glove, Photo: Police Spokesperson.