East Jerusalem pharmacist released after being detained over false claim he wore ISIS ring

A pharmacist from East Jerusalem is released after being arrested on suspicion of identifying with the Islamic State terror organization due to a ring he was wearing that was thought to resemble the ISIS flag, but without the police checking what the ISIS flag looks like.

Following a complaint from a member of the public that the ring the pharmacist was wearing bore the ISIS symbol, the police arrested the man at the pharmacy he was working at Petah Tivka on Monday night.

During a Petah Tikva Magistrate Court hearing on the police request to extend his detention yesterday, the police representative admitted that the Arabic writing on the ring had not been translated and that the police had not received a professional statement from the relevant department on the ring and its alleged connection to ISIS before acting on the complaint.

The police also failed to obtain the necessary written authorization from the State Attorney’s Office to open an investigation into the pharmacist on suspicion of identifying with a terrorist organization.

“This suspect has no criminal record, he has a doctorate in pharmacology… he has a family, and doesn’t need to be arrested because of the police’s Islamophobia,” attorney Alla Tilawi, representing the pharmacist, told the court.

Despite acknowledging the problems with the case the judge insisted there was a resemblance between the ring and the ISIS flag and ruled that the man be held until tomorrow.

Last night, however, a judge at the Central-Lod District Court said there was nothing on the ring that indicated an association with ISIS, pointing out that the police had not included an image of the ISIS flag in the case file.

“If the police did not check to compare the ring and the logo of the terror organization, it cannot be said that there is even the beginnings of a basis of suspicion against the appellant,” writes Judge Ido Druyan-Gamlielle.

The ring itself has the image of the Seal of Mohammed depicted with white letters on a black background declaring that Mohammed is God’s messenger. The ISIS flag also bears the image of the Seal of Mohammed but with black letters on a white background that is itself on a black standard with a separate Islamic phrase above the seal.