""He was part of the gang": Former minister's son's detention extended by 6 days

October 19, 2021   

The murder and disappearance case from 30 years ago: The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court today (Tuesday) extended by six days the detention of one of the suspects in the murder, the son of a former government minister - who was arrested in a wave of arrests carried out by the police early this morning. The suspect denied the charges against him and maintained his right to remain silent. At the hearing, the police representative said of the suspect: "He was part of a circle of people who carried out an operation to carry out the crimes. He was part of the gang." The arrest of another suspect was also extended by six more days. Another suspect, the husband of someone who confessed to having served as a 'temptation girl' for the 'Shuvo Banim' gang, was released after an investigation under restrictive conditions for house arrest for 5 days. His wife, who was arrested earlier this week, admitted that members of the 'Shuvo Banim' community forced her to lure the boy Nissim Sheetrit to the scene, and also incriminated the other suspects, who were already being questioned as witnesses at the time. Today, the Jerusalem District Court partially accepted the woman's appeal - and shortened her arrest by 3 days to Thursday. The police arrested 3 more suspects early this morning on suspicion of their involvement in the murders and disappearances that occurred in the Jerusalem area more than 30 years ago - in a case that won Nicknamed 'Clean Hands'. According to suspicion, the three are involved in the murder and disappearance of Nissim Shitrit and Avraham Edri, z"l, from 1986 and 1990 - as part of their activities in the 'Modesty Watch'. Two of the detainees are residents of Jerusalem and one of them is a resident of Haifa. All three belonged to the 'Shuvo Banim' community of Rabbi Eliezer Berland at the time. [Gallery] Among the detainees - the son of a former government minister, and the husband of someone who was the 'temptation girl' of the 'Shuvo Banim' gang, and was arrested on Sunday. The three, in their 60s, were transferred for questioning at the central unit in the Jerusalem district. They are suspected of active involvement in two murder cases, kidnapping for murder and conspiracy to commit a crime. The police clarified that additional arrests may be made in the case. As reported by Haredim 10, on Sunday this week, the police arrested two men and a woman who belonged to the 'Shuvo Banim' community in Jerusalem, on suspicion of involvement in the murders and disappearances. A source close to the investigation told 'Kan News' yesterday: "This is the most brutal criminal organization in Israel. There were terrible acts and cruelty there that are hard to imagine. These are things we learn from this incident. For years, the police have been working on this organization, being exposed to it and its methods of operation. The hierarchy is branched and complex.".