Man held for suspected hate attack on East Jerusalem Arab
Suspect asked victim if he was Arab before beating him, police say; second man thought to have been at the scene also arrested
Police are investigating a suspected hate attack that took place in East Jerusalem over the weekend, during which a Jewish resident asked if a passerby was Arab before assaulting him with a stick.
The victim was evacuated to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, while the assailant fled the scene.
The suspect, 25, was not named in a police statement Wednesday that said the incident was being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime.
According to police, the suspect drove by the victim, who had been walking with a female friend near a gas station in East Jerusalem, and asked if he was Arab.
After the man, also 25, responded to the suspect’s question in the affirmative, the attacker got out of the car and began beating him with a stick.
Police did not say what day the attack occurred on, describing it only as “over the weekend.”
On Sunday, police succeeded in identifying the assailant and detained him for questioning. They also arrested a second suspect, who was believed to have been with the attacker while he carried out the crime.
Police did not announce the arrest until Wednesday.
The last several days have seen heightened tensions in Jerusalem after a Palestinian terror attack Friday evening near the Damascus Gate of the Old City, in which a Border Police officer was killed and four others injured.
Last month, five Israeli Jews were indicted for attacking a Jerusalem janitor because he was Arab.
According to the indictment, after a night of partying in central Jerusalem earlier this month, the alleged assailants went looking for an Arab to beat up. Arriving at Liberty Bell Park at about 7 a.m., the five spotted the janitor working and began cursing him, saying, “You Arab son of a bitch, your Muhammad is a pig.”
The five allegedly shoved, hit and kicked the janitor for several minutes, continuing to kick him even after they knocked him down. One is accused of stealing the victim’s cellphone. The victim’s coworker, a gardener in the park, tried to intervene but was unsuccessful.
The Times of Israel Community.