The police requested to extend the detention of a 67-year-old man, a resident of Jerusalem, who was walking on the way back to his home after the Seder night and was attacked by an Arab, after he was attacked and wounded in the face – the police requested to extend the detention of the Jew by 9 days while the police representative in court tried to hide the fact that the shooter was attacked earlier.
According to eyewitnesses present at the scene – an ultra-Orthodox resident of the Old City of Jerusalem, was attacked after Seder night near his home in the Muslim Quarter by a terrorist with fists and an iron rod. The Jew, about 67 years old, was hit in the face, and managed to pull out his weapon and defend his life. He was hit in the face and was bleeding. Rescuers of the Old City gave the victim medical treatment. Dozens of Arabs stood around the terrorist, who encouraged the terrorist.
The Jew was arrested and kept in custody for the entire holiday. Last night (Thursday) at the end of the holiday he was brought to a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court. The police asked for 9 more days of detention, and the police representative presented the case in an incomplete manner. According to him, “close to his house he met the victim, an argument took place between them, the respondent threatened the victim and then shot at his upper body and miraculously the victim was not killed. The respondent fired two shots towards the victim when the bullet grazed his ear and a second bullet entered his right hand and wounded him” , the police representative also claimed “this is a very high level of danger, when the incident could have ended in the person’s death”.
The police representative’s initial description completely ignored the fact that the assailant attacked the shooter with an iron rod in the face. It was only after the lawyer Adi Kidar, who came to represent the detainee on behalf of the Honnu organization, roughed up the police representative – that a more comprehensive picture emerged. “The respondent told you in the investigation and you can see in his right eye that he was injured in the incident. This is not in dispute. Right?” – and the police representative replied “True”, the lawyer continued “Why didn’t you tell the truth? That this boy attacked the Jew who had to defend himself?”, the representative replied “The respondent’s bruises appear in the investigation file”. Kidar continued to press and it was revealed that not all of the evidence was brought to court, finally Kidar asked “What was he supposed to do when a terrorist was moving in his direction with a non-iron rod, what was he supposed to do?”, the police representative replied “In my opinion this does not justify shooting”, more Kidder asked “He also warned him first, told him don’t hurt me I’m an adult, yet he moved in his direction. Can you deny it?” The police representative replied “can neither deny this report nor confirm it”. Finally, Judge Gad Arenberg rejected the police’s request and said “there were signs of assault on the respondent’s face, I believe that the alternative of house arrest can be satisfied”, finally the detainee was released to house arrest at his home.
