Footage leaks of cops interrogating tearful teen stabber
Ahmed Manasra bursts into tears during interrogation, says he doesn’t remember incident, but is expected to plead guilty to attempted murder charges
Footage from the Israel Police’s interrogation of a suspected 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist aired on Palestinian television Monday, showing officers shouting at the boy alleged to have taken part in the stabbing of two Israelis in Jerusalem last month.
Ahmed Manasra was seriously injured when he was hit by a car while trying to flee the scene of the attack in Jerusalem’s Pisgat Zeev neighborhood on October 12, and his accomplice-cousin Hassan Manasra, 15, was shot dead by security forces after charging at police with a knife.
The pair allegedly stabbed two Israelis — a 13-year-old, who was critically injured; and a 25-year-old, who was moderately injured.
Ahmed was treated in Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital and arrested upon his release last week.
Manasra at first admitted to carrying out the attack, but then walked back his confession.
Ahmed Manasra can be seen in the police video being grilled by officers who repeatedly call him a liar as they urge him to cop to the charges of attempting to murder two Israelis.
Manasra denies the allegations, saying he doesn’t remember the incident, even when he’s shown security camera footage of himself and his cousin, Hassan Manasra, chasing a victim down.
By the end of the video, the boy is in tears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwrGe9eP88k
Manasra was expected to plead guilty on Tuesday to an Israeli court to two charges of attempted murder, Channel 10 reported. His lawyers will try to change the charges against the boy, contending Ahmed didn’t actually carry out the stabbing.
The 13-year-old from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina was likely to take the fall on the two attempted murder charges so that he won’t sit in prison for the crimes, the report said.
According to Israeli law, a minor under the age of 14 cannot face jail time. Manasra will turn 14 in January. In the meantime, the prosecution can ask for a prison sentence in a juvenile facility if he is convicted of attempted murder.
The prosecution is said to be looking into the possibility of postponing the court proceedings until after Manasra’s birthday in three months’ time, according to a Channel 2 report last month.
