Palestinian who took part in Jerusalem stabbing rampage at age 13 freed from prison, had developed schizophrenia

A Palestinian man who took part in a terror attack when he was 13 and is said to have developed schizophrenia in prison is released today.

In 2015, Ahmad Manasra, then 13, and his 15-year-old cousin Hassan Manasra, stabbed two Israeli civilians in Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood. Police responding to the incident fatally shot Hassan, and Ahmad was seriously injured when he was hit by a car as he tried to escape the scene of the attack.

A year later he was convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison, which was later reduced by the Supreme Court to 9.5 years.

His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, says he was released today after completing his sentence. Doctors said he developed schizophrenia in solitary confinement and tried to harm himself and others.

Appeals to the Supreme Court for his early release were repeatedly denied. The courts ruled that he was ineligible, regardless of age or mental condition, because he was convicted of terrorism.

The Israel Prison Service declines to comment on the specific conditions under which he had been held, saying all prisoners are held in accordance with Israeli and international law and that any allegations of abuse are investigated.