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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Arab Israeli teen arrested on terror suspicions in killing of married couple |
| 2026-05-30 |
| [IsraelTimes] Police rule out murder-suicide after Olga and Ruslan Prihodko found shot dead in Judean foothills; suspect’s brother carried out 2024 ramming attack The Israel Police and the Shin Bet arrested a 17-year-old Arab Israeli on suspicion of killing a married couple last week in central Israel, in what law enforcement now believes was a terror attack. Ruslan and Olga Prihodko, from Rishon Lezion, were found title='shot dead'>rubbed out in their car last Friday evening near Mishmar Ayalon in the Judean foothills. The couple, both in their 40s, had left their house that morning to go on a trip and disappeared, relatives recounted to Channel 13, stressing that neither husband nor wife had any history of suicidal ideation or mental illness. The couple is survived by a teenage son. Police began probing the incident as a potential murder-suicide, but later changed course and started investigating possible foul play, enlisting the Shin Bet’s help. The development came about after police realized that Ruslan’s licensed handgun was not at the scene of the crime, and he had not fired any weapon, Ynet reported, adding that his handgun was later found in its safe in the couple’s home. The Border Police Yamam counter-terrorism force arrested the suspect on Wednesday night. His detention was extended by eight days in the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court. Hebrew outlets reported that the teenager is the younger brother of a terrorist who carried out a deadly ramming attack in 2024 at a bus stop in Ramat Hasharon. Artyom, Olga’s brother-in-law, expressed relief that police arrested the suspected killer. "We knew it from the very beginning, and now it’s important that the whole public knows this was not a murder-suicide. Everyone knew who Ruslan and Olga were — it just didn’t make sense," he told Ynet. The relative had previously told the outlet that the couple had been planning to fly to Austria with their teenage son in June, in order to celebrate Olga’s 45th birthday. "Ruslan loved his wife and son; they were always together and did everything together," he said. The couple, who have lived in Israel for over two decades, married in Ukraine and immigrated in 2000. The husband’s mother and sister flew from their home in Ukraine to attend the funeral in Rishon Lezion on Wednesday. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |