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The wife of suspected Jewish terrorist Yaakov Teitel at a court last week.
 (Moti Kimche)
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Last update - 13:56 02/11/2009
How Israel caught the suspected Jewish terrorist
By Chaim Levinson, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jerusalem, Israel News 

A sweeping gag order; an armed break-in at the suspect's home; the denial of legal representation to the suspect; and the interrogation of his wife - these are just a few of the measures the Shin Bet took against suspected Jewish terrorist Yaakov Teitel and his family.

Teitel, 36, a resident of the West Bank settlement of Shvut Rachel, was arrested three weeks ago on suspicion of murder and involvement in a string of murder plots. Immediately after his arrest in the ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof, a gag order was placed on every detail of the affair - which was violated by a writer and editor at the Walla Web site, who were themselves subsequently brought in for questioning.

The Shin Bet policy of a "heavy hand" was evident in the conditions of Teitel's detention, as well as in the behavior of investigators toward his family. As such, while Teitel was still being transported to an interrogation cell on October 8, the morning after his arrest, the security service's agents raided four separate apartments that the suspect had visited while he had been under surveillance.
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At the same time, a separate Shin Bet squad positioned itself in front of the American-born suspect's home in Shvut Rachel. Police broke down the door, burst inside with handguns drawn and, according to relatives, roused the family's four children, who were sleeping at the time.

Furthermore, additional Shin Bet squads searched other homes in the settlement, including that of Moshe Avitan, Teitel's brother-in-law.

"[Shin Bet] intelligence was terrible and they didn't know that I am blind," Avitan told Haaretz on Sunday. "I am 100 percent disabled; they could have come to search my place in an orderly manner."

According to eyewitness testimonies, police used tracker dogs during a raid of apartments belonging to Teitel's parents and mother-in-law.

But by far the most drastic measure taken against the suspect - highly unusual when the detainee is Jewish - was the denial of his right to consult with a lawyer for more than two weeks.

The Shin Bet even enlisted Attorney General Menachem Mazuz into its investigative efforts, Haaretz has learned, when the security service sought to extend the suspect's remand without granting him legal consul. Only Mazuz was able to approve this move, according to the law, after ten days during which such consul has been denied.

The Shin Bet was particularly uncompromising in the security steps it took on the few occasions when Teitel was brought to the Petah Tikva District Court for a remand extension. Even though the courthouse had been searched by the security service's agents, cracks in the glass of the doors were completely blocked up; the vehicle in which Teitel was brought to court had shaded windows, and was accompanied by a convoy of undercover guards; and police detectives stood at the entrance to the courtroom to prevent curious onlookers from approaching.

Nonetheless, the move that was most heavily criticized by figures in the rightist camp was the arrest of Teitel's wife, Rivka, for questioning. While she was en route to a remand extension hearing for her husband, Shin Bet agents pulled her over. She was traveling with her baby daughter and a pair of friends at the time, with whom, relatives say, the agents told her to leave the child. They reportedly told Rivka Teitel to get into another car that would take her away for interrogation, which lasted for several hours and at the end of which she was released.

"They could have stopped her at home instead of all this drama with the baby in the car," a relative said. "They certainly know where she lives... all of her arrest and subsequent release - points to the fact that this was just a despicable investigative maneuver to pressure Yaakov in his questioning."


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    Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Jewish terrorism
    Settler Yaakov Teitel allegedly killed two Palestinians, carried out string of bomb attacks.
    Sucking up to Israel
    Now is the time to say to U.S.: Enough flattery. Change your tone, or nothing will change.
      1.   so-called Jewish terrorist... 10:13  |  david 02/11/09
      2.   What`s all the fuss about....? 10:49  |  Esther 02/11/09
      3.   Scandalous...!! 11:03  |  Esther 02/11/09
      4.   He is so lucky... 11:10  |  harvey 02/11/09
      5.   Welcome to the Police State 11:16  |  vernonmarriott 02/11/09
      6.   such hooplah 11:24  |  ed 02/11/09
      7.   No evidence so far 11:33  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 02/11/09
      8.   What`s so wear? 11:35  |  Florencia 02/11/09
      9.   What exactly did he do? 11:37  |  Petra 02/11/09
      10.   poor palestinians 11:38  |  viking 02/11/09
      11.   Scandalous Treatment 11:42  |  Clarity 02/11/09
      12.   Jewish Terrorists 11:57  |  abjad 02/11/09
      13.   No 1 12:18  |  Benjamin 02/11/09
      14.   jewish terrorist 12:26  |  Mr. Lipton 02/11/09
      15.   This was right 12:30  |  Norwegian 02/11/09
      16.   Overkill - as usual 12:33  |  Y Haber 02/11/09
      17.   No double standard this time! 12:35  |  TW 02/11/09
      18.   Being Appropriate 13:17  |  Steve 02/11/09
      19.   jewish terrorist 14:03  |  j.b. 02/11/09
      20.   Imprison them and deport them 14:09  |  Mark Jeffery Koch 02/11/09
      21.   david Ah yes...two wrongs make a right, right? 14:20  |  CJ 02/11/09
      22.   I`m waiting for the Liberal chorus 14:29  |  Ari 02/11/09
      23.   Treat him like a Palestinian terrorist 14:48  |  Marcel 02/11/09
      24.   You are right Norwegian 14:55  |  MarioS 02/11/09
      25.   You are right Norwegian 14:55  |  MarioS 02/11/09
      26.   terrorist or murderer, or an act of self defense 15:21  |  Gary 02/11/09
      27.   Police should be unequivocally lauded; all the rest `teitel-tale` 15:23  |  Esther 02/11/09
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