Police have arrested a resident of Modiin Illit suspected of assaulting a Palestinian bus driver in the ultra-Orthodox settlement last Thursday evening.
Palestinian bus driver brutally assaulted by Israeli passengers at Modiin Illit settlement on December 13, 2018. (Courtesy)
The suspect, who is in his 20s, is being brought before the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court where police will request that his remand be extended.
The driver, Nidal Fakih from the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, told authorities he was dropping off passengers in the central West Bank settlement when a car pulled up in front of his bus, from the Kavim transportation company, and blocked the road.
Two young men exited the car, boarded the bus and began speaking to Fakih. When the suspects realized he was Palestinian, they began beating him.
Footage from shortly after the assault showed Fakih bruised and bleeding profusely from his left eye, as well as unable to move from his seat.
The arrest comes hours after bus drivers from the Kavim company demonstrated in Jerusalem against violence directed at bus drivers.
An investigation into the attack is continuing, police say.
— Jacob Magid
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 17, 2018
