Police have arrested an Israeli-Arab suspect in the killing of Olga and Ruslan Prikhodko, the Rishon Letzion couple who were found shot to death inside their vehicle over the weekend in an open area between Moshav Mishmar Ayalon and Karmei Yosef in Shefelah. Following a partial lifting of the gag order surrounding the investigation, authorities revealed Thursday that the suspect is being investigated for carrying out a double murder believed to have been motivated by nationalist motives.

The development marks a dramatic turn in the case, which initially moved in an entirely different direction. In the early hours of the investigation, authorities examined the possibility that the incident may have involved a murder-suicide, partly because Ruslan legally owned a handgun.

As investigators dug deeper into the case, however, evidence began to undermine that theory. One major issue was that Ruslan’s personal firearm was not found at the scene.

According to reports, investigators later searched the couple’s home and discovered the licensed handgun locked inside a safe. In addition, no gunshot residue was found on Ruslan’s hands. Those findings strengthened suspicions that the couple had been murdered by another individual who then fled the area.

The Shin Bet became involved in the investigation during its early stages, and responsibility for the case was later transferred to the Central District Major Crimes Unit.

Several individuals were initially detained for questioning, but were later released after investigators determined they had no connection to the killings. Following additional breakthroughs in the investigation, police arrested the main suspect now believed to be tied to the murders.

Olga, 44, and Ruslan, 46, are survived by their 14-year-old only son. The couple was laid to rest yesterday at the cemetery in Rishon Letzion, accompanied by relatives, friends, and acquaintances.

Family members had insisted from the outset that the couple had not taken their own lives and were not involved in any domestic incident, maintaining instead that they had been murdered.

Relatives described Olga and Ruslan as a devoted couple whose son was the center of their world. According to family members, the three had recently been planning a trip to Austria to celebrate Olga’s birthday.

The investigation remains ongoing under partial gag-order restrictions as police continue examining all aspects of the case and attempting to determine the precise motive behind the killings.