Police have completed an investigation into the murder of Wafa Abahara, who was stabbed to death about two months ago by her divorcee, due to an argument between them over custody of their children
Police in the Northern District Central Unit have deciphered the murder of 45-year-old Araba resident Fa'a Abbah, which took place about two and a half months ago, police said today (Thursday).
This morning, the prosecution filed an indictment against Rabia Kanaana for the murder of his ex-wife.
After the murder, Kanaana escaped and was captured at the end of a three-week manhunt, after stealing a car.
"A two-month-old investigation has come to an end": Declared murder in Araba // Photo: Police spokeswoman
The incident took place on November 16, 2020, when the police hotline received a report of a car accident between two private vehicles in the square at the main entrance to the city of Araba.
According to the report, the driver of the offending vehicle got out of his vehicle, stabbed the driver and fatally injured her and fled the scene.
Many police forces rushed to the scene, collected findings and opened an investigation which revealed that around 11:00 the deceased left the Sharia court shortly after the accused, at the end of a hearing on custody of their joint children and traveled by train to Araba.
The defendant ambushed to rest at the main entrance to the city, and when he noticed her rushing towards her with his vehicle and colliding with it violently, he got out of the vehicle armed with a knife and stabbed her about 14 times.
Passers-by who were at the scene tried to drive away the defendant who got in his vehicle and fled the scene.
After about an hour, the defendant's vehicle was found abandoned inside the city of Araba.
Documentation: Passers-by try to keep the murder suspect away from his ex-wife's vehicle // Photo: Amar Assad
Many police forces, including special units of the police and Border Police fighters, launched a manhunt for the defendant, which included operational and intelligence activities to locate the suspect, conducted field searches, ambushes and searches of the defendant's relatives and acquaintances.
The investigation indicated that the suspect, who was a shepherd and well acquainted with the wild areas near the cities of Araba and Sakhnin, is hiding in the vast areas of the Sakhnin Valley and the surrounding hills, an area with tangled woods and many natural hiding places.
Police forces continued to conduct ambushes at the scene, investigating every possible direction of investigation that arises.
On the evening of December 7, 2020, a report was received about a vehicle stolen from a pizza delivery man while he was going out to make a delivery in the village of Kawab Abu al-Hija.
Police tracked down the vehicle and spotted it parked in a bar area between the city of Sakhnin and Araba, and a police ambush was set up in a controlled area of the place.
After several hours, the police noticed a suspicious figure, closed her in and ordered her to stop, the suspect tried to escape and even stabbed one of the policemen but was subdued by the force and arrested.
During the investigation, police investigators gathered ample evidence to prove the defendant's guilt in the murder, the evidence included numerous testimonies from family members including eyewitness testimony, forensic evidence backed by expert testimony and photographs from security cameras.
All the evidence was transferred to the Haifa District Attorney's Office, which formulated an indictment against Kanaana.