From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Palestinian suspected of spitting on IDF officer moved to security facility
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The Palestinian man suspected of spitting on an IDF officer earlier this week has been moved from a criminal detention center to a security facility, Hebrew outlets report.
His reclassification as a security prisoner was made today at the behest of Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi.
Unlike criminal detainees, security prisoners are held for committing a broad range of what Israel classifies as nationally motivated crimes, which range from gruesome terror attacks to publishing incendiary content. The vast majority of them are Palestinian.
Yesterday, the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of the suspect, West Bank resident Ahmad Muhammad, until tomorrow.
Muhammad turned himself in to the Israel Police in the West Bank Monday night after his family received a call from the cops, but he insists he wasn’t in Israel at the time of the spitting incident and is a victim of mistaken identity.
תיעוד: החשוד ביריקה על קצינת צה”ל הועבר מבית מעצר פלילי למתקן ביטחוני בהוראת נציב שב״ס קובי יעקובי pic.twitter.com/FzViaeQmC7
— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) May 21, 2025
Footage uploaded to social media shows the blindfolded suspect being unloaded from a truck by four masked prison guards and carried into the detention center.
The Prison Service has not yet responded to a request for comment regarding the facility the suspect was transferred to.
The Times of Israel Community.