New Details Emerge in Murder of 61-Year-Old Fatma Rajabi in Jerusalem
New details reveal the murder of 61-year-old Fatma Rajabi from East Jerusalem, whose body was hidden in a barrel by a suspect over a financial debt. The suspect confessed after a five-day search, while family and police clash over the investigation's pace.
New details have emerged regarding the murder of 61-year-old Fatma Rajabi from East Jerusalem. The suspect, 60-year-old technician Saleh Othman, allegedly hid her body in an industrial barrel near his home in the a-Tur neighborhood. After turning himself in to the police, Othman confessed to the acts, reenacted the crime, and led investigators to the location where the body was concealed. During interrogation, he claimed, "I was drunk at the time of the murder." Meanwhile, new footage reveals Othman's actions following the killing, showing him allegedly withdrawing cash using Rajabi's credit card.
Investigation and Motive
Police suspect that the motive behind the murder was a financial debt amounting to tens of thousands of shekels, and that the two were previously acquainted. Rajabi was last captured on camera leaving her home and entering Othman's work vehicle, after which all traces of her vanished. Investigators believe Othman murdered her along the way and subsequently transferred her body to the area near his home in East Jerusalem, placing it inside the barrel.
Her disappearance triggered a five-day search operation. Officers from the Jerusalem District, Border Police forces, and hundreds of volunteers participated in the sweeps, which included areas near Abu Ghosh and Mevaseret Zion. Concurrently, investigators worked to retrace her final route and gather footage and evidence to determine her fate. Family members criticized the police, claiming search efforts began too late, an allegation firmly rejected by law enforcement.
Police Response and Family Criticism
"If this had been a Jewish woman, they would have acted within the first hours of her disappearance and found her," Rajabi's son said, criticizing the perceived lack of urgency.
Shalem Police Station Commander Superintendent Shalom Cohen dismissed the family's accusations. "The investigation has been underway from the moment the report was received, operating on multiple fronts simultaneously," he stated. "This is one of the missing persons investigations into which the most effort and technological resources were poured. We worked from the very first moment, and there is no connection whatsoever to the missing person's origin."
