2 suspects remanded after man found bound, stabbed in trunk

Two East Jerusalem men suspected of being involved in the stabbing and attempted abduction of an Israeli man on Friday were brought before the Magistrate’s Court in the Israeli capital for a remand extension.

The suspects, two male residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of At-tur, aged 20 and 19, were arrested after the discovery of a bound man in a trunk of a car they were driving following a pre-dawn police chase on Friday, according to Channel 2.

The victim, a 60-year-old Tel Aviv resident, was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in non-life threatening condition.

Police said the incident was likely criminal in nature, though they have not yet ruled out a nationalistic motive.

According to an initial investigation, the victim met the suspects in Tel Aviv and asked them for food and a place to stay. The two then allowed the man into their car and attempted to rob him, later attacking him, tying him up and locking him in the trunk of the Hyundai automobile they were driving.

The chase began after police on a routine patrol in the neighborhood near the Zeitim checkpoint in the capital attempted to approach a suspicious car, which then took off toward At-Tur on the Mount of Olives.

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After the chase, the suspect vehicle hit a number of cars and came to a halt.

Police officer Khaled Salah told Ynet he was searching the car, which was likely stolen, when he heard a voice screaming for help, at which point he found the victim in the trunk.

“We’ve launched an investigation to clarify the incident, but without a doubt it’s clear that the alertness and decisiveness of the police saved a life,” police official Haim Shmueli told the news site.