Israeli found stabbed and bound in East Jerusalem trunk

An Israeli was found stabbed and bound in the trunk of a car in an Arab neighborhood of East Jerusalem early Friday morning after a pre-dawn police chase.

Police said the incident was likely criminal in nature, though they have not yet ruled out a nationalistically motivated attack.

Two East Jerusalem men, ages 20 and 19, were arrested.

The victim, a 60-year-old Tel Aviv resident, was taken to a local hospital, where he was listed with non-life threatening injuries, the Ynet news website reported.

According to an initial investigation the man was robbed by the suspects before being stabbed and tied up in the trunk.

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

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After a 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 opened 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.

The two men inside the car, both residents of the neighborhood, were detained.