Israel arrests three Palestinians over West Bank settler death

Israeli forces on Friday detained three Palestinians in connection with the murder of a retired Israeli colonel in the northern West Bank, Israeli media reported Sunday.

The three suspects are from the village of Deir Samit in the Hebron area. Two of the suspects were identified by Israel's Shin Bet security service as Farid Taleb Horoub, 18, and Bashir Ahmad Awda Horoub, 21, Israeli news site Ynet reported.

The third suspect was not identified.

Israeli security officials said that the murder was most likely a botched robbery and not a political attack, Ynet said.

The two identified suspects apparently confessed to the murder of Col. Sariya Ofer during interrogation by Israeli officials, who subsequently concluded that the killing was not a "terror attack" but was instead a "botched up plot" by the two suspects to "steal property," Ynet reported.

The third suspect did not confess to the killing.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said that the Israel's military had not released a statement concerning the suspects.

Retired Israeli colonel Sariya Ofer was bludgeoned to death in the illegal settlement of Brosh in the Jordan Valley on Friday.