5 Israeli Arab teens charged with firebombing IDF base

Five teenagers from the Arab neighborhood of Issawiya in East Jerusalem were brought before the Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday and charged with throwing Molotov cocktails at an IDF base in the capital.

According to the indictment, the youths, all aged 14 or 15, were behind several attacks over the past few months on the Ofrit base and on vehicles leaving it to travel along a road that passes around the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus.

Three of the accused were charged with aggravated assault, arson, and attempted arson. The other two, who allegedly served as lookouts, were charged as accessories.

In about 10 different incidents the accused allegedly hurled homemade Molotov cocktails at IDF and civilian vehicles using the road and also threw the devices into the base. On some occasions the targeted vehicles caught fire. They also allegedly attempted to cause a blaze at the base by setting fire to a tire placed against the perimeter fence.

The prosecution asked that the three teenagers accused of actually carrying out the attacks be held until trial.