The Internet is said to reflect society, both good and bad. So maybe it is no surprise that conflict and violence have made their way onto the Web. Israeli police believe a 16-year-old Israeli, Ofir Rachum, who was found murdered near the Palestinian town of Ramallah, was lured to his death via the Internet.
The response to the murder, which occurred on January 17th, was immediate. The Israeli government postponed a meeting to discuss the resumption of peace talks after what Israelis are calling the country's "first Internet murder".
It is believed the boy was shot by the Palestinian Tanzim group, which, police suspect, set a trap through a chat room. Rachum had reportedly struck up an online friendship a few weeks before with a girl who told him she was an American tourist staying in Jerusalem, but who is now suspected to be from Ramallah.
They moved from the chat rooms to direct e-mail contact, and then to talking regularly on the telephone, Rachum's friends told reporters. He met her twice. The first time, in Jerusalem; the second time, instead of taking him to where she was staying, she drove him out of the city towards Ramallah.
Along the way, she met up with a group from the Tanzim, who shot him 15 times and left the car, with his body in the boot, on the outskirts of the town.
"This is what happens when you play around too much on the Internet," Rachum's mother said in a statement.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned Rachum's murder, and has apparently arrested several suspects. It said the motive was "criminal". The Israeli police and security forces are also investigating.
This is not the first time someone has been lured to their death via the Internet. Last year, a 20-year-old Texas University student, Kerry Kujawa, met a person on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) named "Kelly", whom he believed to be female.
A romantic relationship developed and Kujawa made arrangements to meet "Kelly" in person. On April 19th, Kujawa's body was found on a Texas ranch with a gunshot wound to his head.
With the help of computer experts, police were able to track down the killer. "Kelly" was in fact Kenny Wayne Lockwood of San Antonio, Texas, who was arrested and charged in connection with Kujawa's death. Bob Wiatt, chief of the University Police Department in Texas said, "This has shown us we're dealing with a new venue for crime".