The Palestinian-American teenager who relatives allege was beaten by Israeli authorities returns home to Florida, saying he will never think of freedom in the same way again.
Tariq Abu Khdeir, 15, and his mother fly back to Tampa on a flight arriving late Wednesday from New York and are greeted by about 50 cheering supporters waving American and Palestinian flags. The Abu Khdeirs had flown out of Israel earlier in the day.
“I am only 15 but I will never think of freedom the same as I did two months ago,” Tariq says upon arrival at Tampa International Airport. “No child, whether they are Palestinian or Israeli, deserves to die.”
Tariq Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian-American teen who relatives allege was beaten by Israeli authorities earlier this month, is greeted by family, including his grandmother Huda Abu Khdeir, after he arrived at Tampa International Airport on Wednesday night, July 16, 2014, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/The Tampa Tribune, Jason Behnken)
The teenager says the thoughts and prayers of the supporters had helped him, adding “I got through these past two weeks because I knew you were all thinking of me.”
Now, he says, he just wants time with friends and to relax. “It feels so good to be back in Tampa. Can I even put it in words? I can’t wait to go back to play with my friends and go fishing,” he says.
— AP
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