Police have arrested four suspects as the search continued Thursday for a seven-year-old boy who was kidnapped outside his home two days earlier.
The four are due to appear at Rishon Lezion Magistrateβs Court Thursday morning for a hearing to extend their remand. Police said three of the suspects are aged 26, 27 and 41, with no details given about the fourth individual.
The development comes after a television report Wednesday evening that a deal had been reached with Karim Jumhourβs captors for his return.
As stated by Channel 10, Jumhour is healthy and unharmed, though police still do not know where he is being kept.
Karim Jumhour (Courtesy)
Earlier on Wednesday the boyβs family said they received a ransom demand from the kidnappers.
βThey asked me for NIS 4 million ($1,090,000) but I donβt want to pay,β Jumhourβs father told the Ynet news website. βIβm waiting for the boy to return home safe and sound.β
ΧΧΧΧΧ€Χ ΧΧ§ΧΧ Χ‘ΧΧΧ | ΧΧ¨ΧΧ Χ'ΧΧΧΧΧ¨ ΧΧΧ ΧΧΧΧ ΧΧ Χ-7 Χ©Χ ΧΧΧ£ ΧΧΧΧͺΧ @samiaah10 pic.twitter.com/TjZqRJvbqM
β ΧΧΧ©ΧΧͺ Χ’Χ©Χ¨ (@news10) July 11, 2018
As stated by Hadashot news, the kidnapping is believed to have been carried out by a crime family over unpaid debts. Other Hebrew media reports said it revolved around a financial fight among the boyβs relatives.
Jumhour was snatched on Tuesday from outside his home in Qalansawe, an Arab city in central Israel.
ΧΧΧΧ ΧΧ¨ Χ’ΧΧ¦Χ¨ ΧΧΧΧ ΧΧ 7 ΧΧ€ΧͺΧ ΧΧΧͺΧ. Χ ΧΧ ΧΧΧΧΧ Χ’Χ Χ©ΧΧΧ ΧͺΧΧΧΧ. ΧΧΧΧ ΧΧ ΧΧΧ‘. Χ¨ΧΧ¦Χ ΧΧ’ΧΧΧ¨. ΧΧΧͺΧΧ Χ©Χ ΧΧΧͺ β ΧΧΧ Χ ΧΧΧ£ ΧΧ Χ’ΧΧ.ΧΧΧ ΧͺΧΧΧΧ, ΧΧ Χ§ΧΧ¨Χ ΧΧΧΧΧ ΧΧͺ ΧΧΧ¨ΧΧͺ, ΧΧ ΧΧ¦ΧΧ Χ. ΧΧΧ ΧΧ Χ§Χ¨Χ ΧΧΧ© ΧΧΧ, ΧΧ Χ¨ΧΧΧ§ ΧΧΧΧΧͺ Χ©ΧΧΧhttps://goo.gl/jbZHhPΧΧ Χ¨ΧΧ ΧΧͺ ΧΧ¨ΧΧ ΧΧ§ΧΧ?
Posted by βΧΧΧΧ’ΧΧͺ ΧΧΧ¨ΧΧ ΧΧͺ Yedioth Ahronothβ on Wednesday, 11 July 2018
Dramatic video footage of the incident shows a white car pulling up outside the Jumhour home and asking two young boys a question. As they answer, a masked man jumps out of one of the rear doors and pushes Jumhour into the car. The assailant tries to grab the other child, who runs out of armsβ reach. The vehicle then flees the scene.
βMy wife and the whole family are still in shock,β the boyβs father said. βWe cannot comprehend what happened. It is good that they didnβt kidnap another child.β
Qalansaweβs mayor, Abdel-Basit Salameh, described the incident as βshocking.β
βIt is impossible to let something like this pass quietly,β he said. βAt this stage we have no details on the condition of the boy. We are waiting to hear good news. The most important thing is that the boy is returned.β
Salameh said police have been searching nonstop for the boy and his kidnappers since he was taken.
On Tuesday night, checkpoints were set up near Baqa al-Gharbiya and Umm al-Fahm in the Haifa district.
A large number of police forces and a helicopter were involved in the manhunt.