Palestinian suspected of poisoning Israeli family

A Palestinian man from the West Bank town of Beit Furik has been arrested on suspicion of having poisoned an Israeli family of four and a police volunteer, it emerged Sunday after a gag order was lifted. According to police, the suspect confessed to the act, explaining that he had poisoned the drinking water in the family's home because he "hates Jews," Channel 10 reported.

The suspect, Adnan Otman, 46, confessed to having injected poisonous pesticides into a water bottle in a Raanana home in efforts to harm the home's inhabitants. Two additional suspects were arrested, but have denied involvement in the incident.

The incident occurred in October 2011, when a Raanana couple returned home in the evening and drank from the water and gave some to their two-year-old son. They then noticed that certain items were missing from their home, and called the police with suspicions that the home had been broken into. The police officers who arrived to investigate the claim also drank from the water. A short while later, the family and the police officers began feeling ill and throwing up.

The father, who had drunk a large quantity, was hospitalized in serious condition and remained in intensive care for a week, with doctors fearing for his life. His young son was hospitalized and released the following day. A police volunteer received medical attention and was immediately released from the hospital.

The lab reports from the hospital indicated that the family had ingested a dangerous pesticide used mainly in agriculture.

Several weeks ago, there was a break in the case and suspicion was directed at the Palestinian man, who had renovated the family's home. He was arrested at his home in the West Bank in August and questioned in Kfar Saba. His remand has been extended three times since.

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