Judge rejects appeal to keep anti-government activist accused of torching dumpsters in jail

Mark Foigel, one of the anti-government activists suspected in the torching of dumpsters near the prime minister’s residence last month, has been released to supervised house arrest.

Judge Daphne Barak-Erez rejects state prosecutors’ appeal against his release, upholding a district court’s decision from earlier this week ordering him and three others free after weeks in jail.

Foigel, 57, is accused of organizing a plot to light a “ring of fire” around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence during a day of mass protest in Jerusalem. One of the dumpster fires spread, destroying a car and forcing locals to evacuate, but caused no injuries.

His three alleged accomplices were released Monday night from Hadarim Prison, but Foigel remained as state prosecutors filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

Though Foigel did not light any of the fires the day of the incident, prosecutors characterize him as the “dominant actor” in the alleged plot and sought to keep him in custody for longer.

Defendants’ lawyers have denounced prosecutors’ efforts to keep their clients in custody as a politically motivated step, and their prolonged detention sparked several demonstrations outside the prison where they were being held.