3 Jaffa residents held for hurling firebomb at police car
Mahmoud Galoush, 18, and two minors confess to carrying out attack in support of Palestinian fight for Al-Aqsa Mosque
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Three Israeli Arabs from Jaffa have been arrested in connection with a firebomb attack on a police car earlier this month, the Shin Bet security service said on Sunday.
The three admitted to carrying out the attack on October 8 out of nationalistic motives and in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid tensions on the Temple Mount, the Shin Bet said.
An 18-year-old and two minors of an undisclosed age were arrested in the joint police-Shin Bet investigation.
The 18-year-old was identified as Mahmoud Galoush, a Jaffa resident.
The Yiftah District Commander, David Gez, commended the officers on their arrest of the suspects and on their cooperation with the Shin Bet. “An incident in which residents use violence and throw Molotov cocktails at police officers working to safeguard their security and the public peace is inconceivable and unacceptable. Every violent incident, especially when directed at police officers, will be dealt with using all means at the disposal of the police,” he said.
Galoush said in his interrogation that he acted “out of identification with the Palestinian struggle on Al-Aqsa [Mosque].” The Tel Aviv District Attorney on Sunday filed an affidavit against Galoush, ahead of serving an indictment against him.
The incident ended with no casualties. Two days earlier, on October 6, six police officers were lightly wounded when a demonstration in Jaffa turned into a violent riot. Two were taken to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital for treatment.
In the city’s main square, local Arab residents waved Palestinian flags and chanted, “In spirit and in blood, we will redeem Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Israeli media reports said the protesters were members of the hard-line northern branch of Israel’s Islamic Movement.
When police arrived at the scene to disperse the demonstration, which was held without a permit, masked protesters began hurling rocks at the officers. The protesters also blocked roads with dumpsters and tires. Six people were arrested. Hundreds were involved in the protest in Jaffa, which adjoins Tel Aviv.
The Times of Israel Community.