Police arrest suspect in murder of Katzrin teenager

My Sisters Children all went to Nofei Golan School and My Mother lived in Kazrin for a few happy years


From w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m
Police arrest suspect in murder of Katzrin teenager
By Jack Khoury

Thousands of residents of Katzrin attended the funeral yesterday afternoon of 13-year-old Tair Rada, whose body was found Wednesday evening in the bathroom of the Nofei Golan high school, where she was a seventh-grader.

The community rabbi, Yosef Levy, spoke of the sense of shock that had enveloped the town since word of Rada's murder was released.

Yesterday morning a Katzrin man, Raphael Cohen, 57, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder. The police said Cohen was "strange" and lived alone. Cohen denied any connection to the murder, and his attorney, Ibrahim Oudeh, said the police had not presented any evidence against his client, who has no criminal record.

Judge Rahamim Tzemah said, "it is difficult to say at this point that the suspicion is well-founded." Nonetheless, considering that the investigation is in its preliminary stages, the judge said he believes "there is enough evidence that apparently connects the suspect to the crime." The judge extended the suspect's remand by only three days, denying the police request for a seven-day remand.

Crime scene investigators continued to collect evidence yesterday throughout the day, around the school and especially in the bathroom where Tair's body was found at 7 P.M. Wednesday by local police, who were sweeping the town after she was reported missing. Police said Tair had gone to school as usual Wednesday morning. Her mother reported her missing a few hours after she failed to return home at 2 P.M.

There were stab wounds on the body as well as other signs of violence. The body will be submitted for autopsy.

Despite Cohen's arrest, the police have not ruled out the possibility that the murder was the result of teen violence. A police officer told Haaretz that Cohen's arrest might be an effort to rule out certain directions in the investigation. At the request of the police, the court placed a gag order on the details of the case, including those involving other suspects who have not yet been brought to court.

Regular classes were suspended yesterday at the high school, where many parents accompanied their children to school and remained with them in the classroom. Psychologists, educational counselors and social workers were on hand all day at the school. Last night, a parents' meeting was held in the school together with teachers and mental health professionals. The parents said the mood of the children was grim, and they asked a number of questions about security at the school.

Tair is survived by her father, Shmuel, who recently retired from the career army, her mother Ilana, and two brothers, Roi, 24, and Ehud, 22.

Last update - 02:58 08/12/2006