Suspects held over death of Palestinian

A NUMBER suspects have been arrested over the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammad Abu Khdeir.
Tariq Khdeir (2nd R), the youth whom Palestinians believe was abducted and murdered by far-right Israelis. Picture: ReutersTariq Khdeir (2nd R), the youth whom Palestinians believe was abducted and murdered by far-right Israelis. Picture: Reuters
Tariq Khdeir (2nd R), the youth whom Palestinians believe was abducted and murdered by far-right Israelis. Picture: Reuters

Israeli authorities yesterday announced the arrests of several Jewish suspects in the death of the teenager who was abducted and killed last week, marking a major breakthrough in a case that has sparked violent protests in Arab areas of Jerusalem and northern Israel.

In a joint statement, Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency said the suspects were arrested early yesterday morning. They remained in custody last night.

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While the statement did not say how many suspects were in custody, an official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said they numbered six in total.

The announcement shed new light on a case that has gripped the country’s attention since Abu Khdeir, 16, was abducted outside his home in east Jerusalem early Wednesday and his charred remains were found in a Jerusalem forest afterwards.

Palestinians immediately accused Jewish extremists of killing Abu Khdeir to avenge the earlier kidnapping and killings of three Israeli teens.

Police had investigated various motives for Abu Khdeir’s death, including criminal or personal motives. But officials say they now believed the killers acted on nationalistic grounds.

The official described the suspects as young males, including several minors, and said they came from Jerusalem, the nearby city of Beit Shemesh and Adam, a West Bank settlement near 
Jerusalem.

He said police had located a car used by the suspects, and that security camera footage allegedly showing parts of the abduction in recent days did not help police. During the investigation, however, police learned of an attempted kidnapping the previous day of a young child in the same east Jerusalem neighbourhood and concluded the incidents were linked.

News of Abu Khdeir’s death triggered violent protests in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood where he lived, as angry crowds destroyed light-rail train stations, clashed with police and littered roads with stones and debris. The unrest spread to Arab areas of northern Israel over the weekend.

In east Jerusalem, home to the most violent protests over the teen’s death, Abu Khdeir’s family said news of the arrests brought them little joy. “I don’t have any peace in my heart, even if they captured who they say killed my son,” said his mother Suha. “They’re only going to ask them questions and then release them. What’s the point?”

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“They need to treat them the way they treat us. They need to demolish their homes and round them up, the way they do it to our children,” she added.

His father, Hussein, said the family still had not been officially informed of any arrests. “Even if they rounded up all of Israel, they will not bring my son back,” he said.

The 16-year-old’s death followed the abduction and murder of three Israeli students, who had been hitchhiking near Hebron. Their funerals were held on Wednesday. Just two days later, thousands attended Mohammad Abu Khdeir’s funeral on Friday near the family’s home in the Shufat district of East Jerusalem.

Hundreds of Palestinian youths clashed with Israeli police in East Jerusalem before and after the funeral.

A Palestinian-American teenager, a cousin of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, was one of those held after the clashes. Mobile phone footage appears to show two Israeli policemen repeatedly punching Tariq Khdeir, 15, from Florida, in the head. Yesterday, a judge said he had to be held under house arrest for nine days during the investigation.