Partner of Prime Suspect in Jaffa Murder Arrested at Ben Gurion Airport
The partner of the prime suspect in the Jaffa murder of Muhammad Rafat Ahmad Katuwan was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport trying to flee Israel. Police are appealing a court decision to release her as the probe into organized crime ties continues.
The investigation into the murder of Muhammad Rafat Ahmad Katuwan in Jaffa has taken a new turn. The partner of Muhammad Zeitounia, the prime suspect in the murder, was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport while attempting to flee Israel despite a travel ban issued against her.
Police brought the suspect to the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court on Monday, requesting a 12-day extension of her detention. The court rejected the request and ordered her release, though the execution of the release order was temporarily stayed at the request of police to allow time for an appeal.
The investigation began following a shooting incident in the early morning hours of August 30 on Leib Ben Sarah Street in Jaffa. According to the suspicion, a rider on a Surron electric motorcycle ambushed Katuwan and another person as they sat in a vehicle in a side parking lot, opened fire, and fled the scene. Katuwan was critically injured and later pronounced dead at Wolfson Medical Center, while the second occupant sustained serious injuries.
The case was transferred to the Tel Aviv District Central Unit (YAMAR). As part of the probe, police arrested three suspects traveling in a jeep, where a handgun was recovered. Muhammad Zeitounia remains the primary murder suspect, while investigators examine the involvement of other suspects and the weapon's link to the shooting. On September 2, a 22-year-old Jaffa resident was arrested on suspicion of involvement, and a loaded Sig Sauer pistol was seized near his residence.
Background checks indicate a suspected connection to the Hariri crime organization and ongoing gang conflicts. Investigators are probing the motive behind the assassination to determine if it ties into wider turf wars among criminal factions. The Hariri organization is considered one of the most prominent crime syndicates in Arab society, linked in recent years to violent disputes with rival groups.
