Judge demands explanation after psychiatric evaluation of murder suspect was not carried out

A magistrate has sharply criticized prison authorities after Guy Achtelinger, the suspect in the killing of Rabbi Yishai Por at a synagogue in Bnei Brak last month, was not transferred to the district psychiatrist for an ordered inpatient psychiatric examination. According to a report by Tuvia Yeglink on Galei Tzahal, the judge said the court’s decision had not been carried out and asked Israel Prison Service officials to explain immediately why it had been ignored.

The court hearing followed an earlier objection from the district psychiatrist last week to conducting the exam. The judge then issued another urgent ruling, ordering that before the start of Shabbat, Achtelinger be handed over to the district psychiatrist. That did not happen, and the judge again directed that the transfer be completed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Achtelinger’s remand was extended until next Wednesday. During the hearing, he claimed that people were trying to harm him, saying, “They say they will kill me here in prison.”

The murder took place on May 20, 2026, in the afternoon at the “Chazon Ish” kollel on Ha’ari Street in Bnei Brak. Investigators suspect that Rabbi Yishai Por, 52, was stabbed to death during Torah study. One of the most disturbing details in the case is that the killing occurred in front of his 13-year-old son, who was sitting beside him when it happened. Large police and rescue forces were dispatched after the report, and Por was first taken to hospital in critical condition, where doctors later pronounced him dead.