East Jerusalem Man Arrested for Murder, Dismemberment of 61-Year-Old Woman

New details have emerged in the murder of Fatma Rajabi, a 61-year-old resident of East Jerusalem. The suspect, Salah Othman, a technician in his 60s also from East Jerusalem, allegedly placed her body in an industrial barrel near his home in the A-Tur neighborhood. Othman confessed to the crime after surrendering to police, reenacted the murder, and led investigators to the hidden body. He claimed to have been intoxicated at the time of the murder.

Investigators suspect the motive was a debt of tens of thousands of shekels. Rajabi was last seen leaving her home and entering Othman's work vehicle. Authorities believe Othman murdered her en route and then disposed of her body in the barrel. Following her disappearance, a five-day search operation involving Jerusalem district police, Border Police, and hundreds of volunteers was launched, covering areas like Abu Ghosh and Mevaseret Zion.

During the search, Rajabi's family criticized the police, claiming the search efforts began too late and lacked urgency, suggesting a different response would have occurred if the victim were Jewish. The police command denied these claims, stating that extensive resources and technology were deployed immediately upon receiving the report of her disappearance, emphasizing that the investigation proceeded rapidly and without regard to the victim's background.

Othman surrendered to police five days after Rajabi's disappearance. During his interrogation, he confessed to the murder, reenacted the events, and revealed the location where he had hidden her body. New footage reportedly shows Othman attempting to withdraw cash using Rajabi's credit card after her death.