Suspected serial killer's family insists 'it's all rumors'

The villagers of Wadi Hamam, the home of the alleged serial killer Adwan Yahiya Farhan, have been wondering about "peculiar" activity in the olive grove just north of the village.

Rumors ran high. "People said they were looking for a body of someone, we didn't know who," a villager said. "All we knew was that police were overlooking the activity, and they didn't let anyone come near."

When journalists started flooding to the site last weekend, looking for the Farhan family, rumors about suspicions against a fellow villager spread fast in the tight-knit community.

"Whom are you looking for?" I was asked by a suspicious woman walking along the main road. "For the Farhan family," I replied. "All the houses here are Farhan," she said as she moved away. "Ask there, I don't know."

Disheartened and perplexed, the Farhan family gathered at their home Friday. Adwan's two brothers refused in the name of the family to answer any questions.

"We don't know anything, it's all rumors," the defendant's elder brother Zayd said angrily. "This story has been blown out of proportion by the press."

One of Zayd's sons, a former police officer, said that during his service he helped search for Bennett's body.

"We feel that they're trying to lay the blame on my uncle for every murder case, as well as other offenses, in the area," he said.

Wadi Hamam, a village of 1500 inhabitants, is north of Tiberias and relies heavily on the city's services.

"We don't know what implications this story will have for us," Zayd Farhan said.

"All our life is in Tiberias - whether it's banks, shops or leisure. Our family is hardworking and leads a quiet life. All this talk about our Islamic radicalization is rubbish. Our father was a soldier in the mandate years and worked with the Palmach [pre-state Jewish militia]. It's just stupid to stigmatize us."