7 arrested for alleged gang rape of 14-year-old girl in abandoned building

24-year-old suspected of initiating contact with teen, purchasing drugs and alcohol for her, then assaulting her with others while she was unconscious, at least twice

By Ash Obel 2 April 2023, 12:03 pm Edit
A suspect in a gang rape case seen in surveillance footage moments before his arrest. (Israel Police)
A suspect in a gang rape case seen in surveillance footage moments before his arrest. (Israel Police)

Seven people have been arrested in the past week for drugging and gang-raping a 14-year-old girl on multiple occasions in the coastal city of Netanya, police said Sunday.

A police investigation found that the main suspect, a 24-year-old from Wadi Ara, initiated a conversation with the victim on social media, before the pair agreed to meet in an abandoned building in Netanya.

The man allegedly provided the teen with alcohol and drugs, before he and two friends raped her after she lost consciousness. Some reports said the girl was 13 years old.

After the initial attack, the suspect again contacted the girl, asking her to meet him again to “talk about what happened,” the Kan public broadcaster reported.

The pair met again in an abandoned building, where he allegedly provided the victim with drugs and alcohol before raping her alongside multiple friends. Police said they were from the nearby towns of Wadi Ara and Jisr az-Zarqa.

According to the Ynet news outlet, the victim told a friend about what happened to her. The friend told her mother, who immediately contacted the police.

Police said that six men who were arrested last week will remain in detention as the investigation continues, and added that they expect to make more arrests in connection with the alleged assault.

A seventh man, a 50-year-old from Jisr az-Zarqa, was arrested and taken for questioning in relation to the case on Sunday.

Also Sunday, police released a video showing a detective arrest one of the suspects. The footage shows an officer, apparently working undercover, speaking with a woman on a park bench, then tackling the suspect from behind on a city street.

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